asked the Lord President of the Council if, pursuant to his statement on 13th January, Official Report column 1654, he will list the debates in the House of Commons on foreign affairs from November 1975 up to the latest available date.

Following is the information:FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND EEC DEBATES SINCE NOVEMBER 1975

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will provide a breakdown of the numbers employed by local councils in the manual worker and non-manual worker categories.

At 12th June 1976, the latest date for which published information is available, local authorities in England and Wales employed 1,130,000 manual and 1,507,000 non-manual employees, including police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will report on his consideration of the Sixth Report of the Royal Commission on Envionmental Pollution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to publish a White Paper or other document setting out the Government's views on the Flowers Report.

I am still studying the important issues raised by the report, in conjunction with my right hon. Friends and in the light of the reactions to it. We shall publish our views in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to dissuade local authorities from terminating the rights of gipsies and other travellers to use stopping places within their areas until they have provided an adequate number of places on authorised sites.

Because of the continuing shortage of authorised camping sites, successive Governments have recommended local authorities not to evict gipsies indiscriminately from unauthorised sites, and this advice will be reiterated in a forthcoming circular.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on Government policy towards reduced urban malaise in inner city areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on Government policy towards reducing urban malaise in inner city areas.

All these matters are being considered now, as part of the Government's review of urban policies. We hope to report the outcome of that review within the next three months.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give an assurance that the statue of Oliver Cromwell has not been removed; and, if so, that it will be uncovered and refurbished without further delay.

I can give the hon. Member the assurance he seeks in the first part of his Question. Subject to consultation with the Services Committee, the statue could now be uncovered and refurbished. The plinth must remain protected until work on the site is completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to bring the increasing number of empty houses into beneficial use.

A wide range of powers is already available to local authorities, and my right hon. Friend intends shortly to issue further guidance and to announce a speed up in departmental procedures on compulsory purchase orders aimed at bringing empty houses into proper use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to encourage house building and home ownership in 1977.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Gravesend (Mr. Ovenden), Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) and Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) and to the hon. Members for Waltham Forest (Mr. Deakins), Chingford (Mr. Tebbit) and Reading, North (Mr. Durant) earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for Environment what is his policy in respect of the Liverpool City Council's proposals for building houses for sale; if he will ensure that such projects do not stand in the way of building to let; and if he will make a statement.

It is Government policy to encourage local authorities to provide a balance of tenures—municipal letting, co-operatives, housing associations, shared-equity schemes and down market owner-occupation. There is an active housing association movement in Liverpool together with a growing housing co-operative movement. The city council recently started to build 198 houses for sale and recent discussions have enabled the council to expand its programme for 1977 to 619 houses for rent. We have agreed this programme in full.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider further financial assistance to the City of Liverpool's housing committee to enable them to complete the council modernisation programme and reduce unemployment among construction workers.

I shall shortly be announcing expenditure allocations for the improvement of local authority dwellings in 1977–78. I am taking account of local needs in determining the distribution between authorities of the national total.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is now in a position to make a statement on the outcome of his Department's review of housing finance.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Macfarlane), Carshalton (Mr. Forman) and Norfolk, South (Mr. MacGregor).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he will give to enable local authorities to give priority to rehousing those leaving the forces; and what financial provision is being made to assist such local authorities.

Our Circular 54/75, issued in June 1975, asked housing authorities to accept applications for housing from those leaving the services without requiring them to satisfy tests such as residential qualifications and to consider applications solely on the basis of housing need. I do not consider special financial assistance would be appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps his Department has taken fully to utilise the information gained as a result of the work of the Children and Youth Action Group;(2) how much was paid to the Children and Youth Action Group during the subsistence of the contract;(3) what was learnt during the subsistence of the contract with the Children and Youth Action Group;(4) what were the terms of the contract with the Children and Youth Action Group;(5) what was the objective of the grant to the Children and Youth Action Group;

The objective of the research contract which was awarded in January 1975 was to evaluate existing information about children's play and make suggestions which would help in considering what guidance might be given to local authorities and others about standards to be adopted in schemes for children's play under supervision. The contract followed a standard form for contracts for research purposes between the Department and outside bodies.No grant was payable to the contractor under the contract or otherwise; there is therefore no question of the termination of any grant. In accordance with its provisions, the contract was terminated before the full period had run. We were not satisfied that the contract's objectives would be fulfilled.At the time of this termination in June 1976, the first stage of the programme consisting primarily of the collection of information in the field of children's play had been completed; approximately £23,000 has been paid to the contractor in accordance with the contract in respect of this work.We are considering the question of further research work in the light of that already done. The information collected will provide a useful input to any such further work. We have also ensured that the Children and Youth Action Group so that it can be drawn on in dealing with has available a set of the information any inquiries about supervised play.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconsider his decision to impose a standstill on all contracts for six months, in view of the fact that this is interfering with the progress of civil engineering work by the South-West Water Authority.

No. The policy announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer applies to water authorities as to other public bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the effect of the Government's cuts in public expenditure, he will give special assistance to the South-West Water Authority to help it provide the water required to meet the needs of the South-West after the recent drought.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities in the North-West and Yorkshire and Humberside Regions have now exhausted their current mortgage lending allocations.

None of the local authorities in the North-West Region has reported advances which have exhausted their current mortgage lending allocations. In the Yorkshire and Humberside Region, only Richmondshire District Council has reported that its allocation has been fully taken up.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated rates yield for non-domestic premises in Greater London in 1976–77.

The estimated rate yield of non-domestic properties in 1976–77 for Greater London is £836·5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the total rate support grants to London authorities in 1975–76; and what are the estimated figures for 1976–77.

The total amount of rate support grants paid to Greater London authorities for 1975–76 was £763·8 million—needs, £582·3 million, resources £52·6 million, and domestic £128·9 million. The estimated grant to be paid for 1976–77 totals £910·0 million—needs £718·8 million, resources £57·2 million, and domestic £134·0 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the population of Greater London in 1965, 1970 and 1975; and what is the latest estimate for 1980, 1985 and 1990.

The population of Greater London in 1965, 1970 and 1975 was 7,857,000; 7,530,000 and 7,103,000 respectively. It is estimated by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys that the population in Greater London in 1980, 1985 and 1990 will be 6,561,000, 6,160,000 and 5,793,000 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is now in a position to make further appointments to the Board of Bracknell Development Corporation from among the members of Bracknell District Council.

The appointments of three members of the present Board are due for review in March. The District Council has recently nominated three councillors for consideration for appointment to the Board. I shall bear these names in mind if any replacement of existing members is to be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much Government expenditure in 1975–76 was directed towards housing associations; and what are the latest estimates of the corresponding figures for 1976–77 and 1977–78.

Total public expenditure—loans and grants—on housing associations was £344 million in 1975–76 and the provision for 1976–77 and 1977–78 is now likely to be £395 million and £348 million respectively. But we are considering in consultation with the Housing Corporation ways in which it might raise private loan finance so as to reduce the impact of the £57 million cut in the provision for 1977–78.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation requiring financial institutions to state their reasons for refusing mortgage credit along the lines of President Ford's Bill in November 1975.

I have been asked to reply.No.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what procedure he has for monitoring radio activity in the sea between Cumbria and the North Wales coast and the effects this is having on marine life.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Mr. Litterick) on 13th December 1976; the inshore waters mentioned there would include the area mentioned by the hon. Member.—[Vol. 922 c. 581–3.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated cost of the national food survey for 1976 carried out on behalf of his Department by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

The sum borne on the Vote of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys for sampling, fieldwork etc. in connection with the survey for the financial year 1976–77 was £131,500.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what change of policy his Department was referring when letters were sent to the Fisheries Organisation Society and the Northumbrian Water Authority on 6th January 1977 indicating that the Government had subsequently decided on a different approach to the treatment of Tweed salmon fisheries under devolution than had been set out in a letter from the Lord President of the Council to the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed on 2nd March 1976.

The then Lord President's letter made clear the Government's intention that the devolution of freshwater fisheries should not take a form which might be to the detriment of English interests in these fisheries, and there is no change of policy. In the consultation process it was subsequently suggested that freshwater fisheries in the whole of the Tweed Commission's area should be a reserved function. The Government have now decided that such a reservation of fisheries within Scotland would be contrary to the policy announced in Cmnd. 6348 that freshwater fisheries should be devolved. The purpose of the letters sent on 6th January was to explain this and to make it clear that no responsibility for English coastal waters would be devolved.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will move to refer the Covent Garden Market (Financial Provisions) Bill to a Select Committee.

The Government have carefully considered the suggestion put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing), but have decided in the light of all the circumstances not to propose that the Standing Committee set up to consider this Bill be discharged and replaced by a Select Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the number of lives which would be saved and the number of people who would avoid disablement if the wearing of car safety belts were made compulsory.

About 1,000 lives and 10,000 serious injuries would be saved each year if all seat belts were worn. A sample of road casualties which occurred between 1974 and 1976 is being studied to assess how many resulted in disablement; this may give some indication of the extent of the problem, but it will be some time before the number is definitely established.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had arising from his Department's interest in the environmental problems stemming from the EEC proposal for longer lorries; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is meeting the Civic Trust about the latest outline proposals for limits on the weights and dimensions of heavy lorries. There have also been discussions with representatives of the motor manufacturing and road haulage industries. We shall be glad to consider the views of any other bodies or people concerned. We are not at this stage in a position to add to the statement which my right hon. Friend made on 20th December last year in answer to a Question by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey (Mr. Mellish).—[Vol. 923, c. 50.]

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the total cost to public funds of expenditure on road building and road improvement in Devon and Cornwall, respectively, in the latest financial year.

The total costs to public funds of expenditure on new construction and improvement of roads in Devon and Cornwall in the financial year 1975–76 are estimated to have been £27·9 million and £14·6 million respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the amount of Government grant paid towards the costs of the commuter rail services in the London and South-East area in 1975 and 1976; and what is the estimated amount for 1977.

Under the Railways Act 1974 support for rail passenger operations is for the system as a whole. It is not separately calculated for individual business sectors such as London and the South-East. These services are undoubtedly responsible for a considerable part of the Government support required for the Railways. I would refer the hon. Member to the information about this given in paragraph 7.19 of Volume 1 of the Government's consultation document on Transport Policy, published in April 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the density per road mile of motor vehicles in the United Kingdom compared with European countries.

Following is the latest information available on a comparable basis.

Motor Vehicles Licensed per Road Mile, 1974
	Number of Vehicles
Great Britain	80
Belgium1	57
Denmark	47
Federal Republic of Germany25	66
France	24
Irish Republic3	11
Luxembourg	47
Netherlands4	104
Austria	36
Finland5	25
Hungary2	69
Norway	25
Spain25	65
Sweden5	40
Switzerland	69
1Length of motorways based on 1973 estimates
21973 estimate
3Road-mileage based on 1972 estimates
4Number of motor vehicles based on 1973 estimate
5Number of motor vehicles excludes mopeds.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated number of people who now commute into the Greater London area: (a) by public transport and (b) by private transport; and what were the numbers five years ago.

The 1971 Census showed that 302,000 people travelled by public transport into the Greater London area to work and 219,000 by private transport. I regret that later information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate his Department has made of the cost to industry of the hold-ups on the southbound lane of the M1 south of the Watford Gap Service Station on Monday 10th January 1977;(2) in view of the repairs being done to the southbound lane of the M1 south of the Watford Gap Service Station, why arrangements were not made on Monday 10th January to close one lane on the northbound lane and so enable two lanes of traffic to move south.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 18th January 1977; Vol. 924, c. 89], gave the following information:Instructions are that delays be kept to a minimum by means of switching traffic from one carriageway to the other as traffic flows and site conditions permit.The length of carriageway being maintained on 10th January was considered too long to enable the traffic to be switched to the other carriageway with safety. In the event, the decision proved wrong and delays to traffic were excessive. Steps are being taken to avoid so far as possible such an event happening again. There is insufficient information available to determine the cost to industry of the hold-ups that occurred on this occasion.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take immediate action to maintain the facade of Wellington Barracks which is a statutorily listed structure liable to major deterioration in the current weather conditions.

In the light of the further constraints on the defence budget, we have decided not to proceed with the rebuilding of Wellington Barracks at this time. Work will consequently need to be undertaken for the repair of the facade. The necessary measures, which will be compatible with a major rebuilding at some future date, will be put in hand as soon as practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, in the light of his remarks on 14th December, Official Report, column 1172, he will make arrangements for the Chiefs of Staff to express their views on defence cuts either in the Press or directly to hon. Members. Members.

The advice given by the Chiefs of Staff to Ministers is confidential.As I said in the House on 12th January, when explaining the remarks I made on 14th December, what I had in mind was that it was important that the Chiefs of Staff spoke for themselves directly to the Prime Minister, as they are entitled to do.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish a table showing, alongside the figures given for those being stopped work due to industrial disputes, a further column showing the numbers laid off because of these disputes.

The official statistics of workers involved in stoppages of work due to industrial disputes include

(1) workers directly involved in the dispute and

(2) workers indirectly involved who, although not themselves parties to the disputes, are laid off at establishments where the disputes occur.

It would not be practicable to compile comprehensive statistics of the number of workers who might be laid off at other establishments as an indirect result of the stoppages—for example, due to shortages of materials, parts, and so on. The only exception is the motor vehicle industry where some very broad estimates are compiled, but only for working days lost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will give for a date in October 1974 the actual or average price of meat, eggs, butter, cheese, milk, bread, cooking fats, stated fruits and vegetables, and similar details for a given date in December 1976.

Average retail prices derived from prices collected for the compilation of the retail prices index are given in the following table. The figures relate to 15th October 1974 and 12th October 1976, the latest date for which average prices have been published. As these averages reflect variations in quality as well as price and are subject to sampling errors, the price ranges within

AVERAGE PRICES (PER lb. UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED) OF CERTAIN FOODS
Item	Average price 15th October 1974 Pence	Price range within which 80 per cent. of quotations fell Pence	Average price 12th October 1976 Pence	Price range within which 80 per cent. of quotations fell Pence
Beef—
Home-killed—
Chuck	51·6	44–58	84·6	74–92
Sirloin (without bone)	79·2	65–92	133·4	100–160
Silverside (without bone)*	68·8	60–75	113·8	100–126
Back ribs (with bone)*	48·3	40–58	78·9	64–94
Fore ribs (with bone)	47·0	40–56	77·1	64–90
Brisket (without bone)	47·1	38–56	76·8	64–90
Rump steak*	93·5	80–105	154·2	130–180
Lamb—
Home-killed—
Loin (with bone)	59·6	50–70	95·1	80–110
Breast*	17·4	10–25	29·7	20–40
Best end of neck	44·7	28–58	71·3	44–94
Shoulder (with bone)	38·3	30–50	64·0	50–75
Leg (with bone)	56·2	50–65	88·7	78–100
Lamb—
Imported—
Loin (with bone)	50·0	44–56	77·4	68–88
Breast*	13·8	10–19	22·6	15–30
Best end of neck	40·5	28–50	62·5	40–76
Shoulder (with bone)	33·4	28–38	53·1	46–60
Leg (with bone)	52·5	48–56	79·9	72–86
Pork—
Home-killed—
Leg (foot off)	49·1	40–60	69·6	58–84
Belly*	34·5	30–40	51·4	44–58
Loin (with bone)	61·9	54–70	83·2	74–96
Pork sausages	30·3	26–34	42·7	36–48
Beef sausages	26·7	22–31	38·2	32–44
Roasting chicken (broiler) frozen (3 lb.)	26·4	24–29	38·0	35–42
Roasting chicken, fresh or chilled (4 lb.) oven ready	30·4	26–36	42·9	38–48
Eggs—
Large, per dozen	41·6	39–46	50·7	46–56
Standard, per dozen	37·7	35–40	46·2	43–50
Medium, per dozen	31·8	30–36	40·8	38–44
Butter—
Home-produced	24·6	22–28	49·5	44–54
New Zealand	23·0	21–25	46·0	43–50
Danish	26·7	24–29	51·1	46–54
Cheese, Cheddar type	39·3	36–44	51·9	46–58
Milk, ordinary, per pint	4·5	—	9·5	—
Bread—
White, per 1¾ lb. wrapped and sliced loaf	13·9	12–15	19·2	17–21
White, per 1¾ lb. unwrapped loaf	14·3	12½–15½	20·4	19–23
White, per 14 oz. loaf	9·5	8½–10½	13·8	12½–15½
Brown, per 14 oz. loaf	10·4	10–11	14·8	14–16
Lard	18·8	17–22	20·5	17–24
Fresh fruit—
Apples, cooking	9·3	7–12	13·2	10–16
Apples, dessert	13·2	10–16	15·0	10–20
Pears, dessert	12·3	10–16	14·3	10–20
Oranges	12·0	9–15	15·6	12–20
Bananas	13·0	12–15	16·7	14–20

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will take action to prevent abuses of the temporary employment subsidy by employers.

Applications for payment of the temporary employment subsidy are carefully checked before approval and monitored while payments are being made to ensure that the eligibility conditions are satisfied and we have had little evidence of abuse. If my hon. Friend will supply details of any particular case I will look into the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the average period of employment of persons employed under circumstances qualifying the employer to receive a temporary employment subsidy.

NUMBERS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED
	October 1971	October 1972	October 1973	October 1974	October 1975	October 1976
Over 26 weeks and up to 52 weeks	108,115	116,538	62,058	72,002	154,503	225,280
Over 52 weeks	129,909	177,616	142,562	127,720	161,224	264,601

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish in the Official Report the latest estimates showing how many of those who have become unemployed since March 1974 previously worked in: (a) the private sector, (b) the nationalised industries, (c) the Armed Forces, and (d) the remainder of the public sector.

I regret that the information is not available. My Department's statistics provide an industrial analysis of those unemployed at selected

I regret that the information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as a detailed analysis of the circumstances in all completed and current applications would be required. In the vast majority of cases workers in jobs preserved under the scheme will be employed for the full 12 months period of payment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for those who have been unemployed for longer than six months, 12 months and 18 months; and how these figures compare with those for the previous five years.

Following is the information available for Great Britain. Separate figures are not compiled for those registered for more than 18 months.dates but not of those becoming unemployed during a period of time.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were unemployed in Wales on 31st December 1976; and what were the corresponding figures for the last five years.

Following is the information available which relates to October in each year specified. Because of industrial action by some staff in the Department of Employment Group, complete information is not available for November or December 1976.

		Numbers registered as unemployed in Wales
October 1971	…	…	47,890
October 1972	…	…	46,961
October 1973	…	…	32,043
October 1974	…	…	40,397
October 1975	…	…	69,272
October 1976	…	…	79,456

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were employed by the Manpower Services Commission and by the Health and Safety Commission in each quarter since these commissions were established.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th January 1977), gave the following information:The numbers of people employed in the Manpower Services Commission—MSC—and its agencies and the Health and Safety Commission and its Executive are given below. The MSC figures incorporate the staff of the Training Services Agency from 1st April 1974 and the Employment Service Agency from 1st October 1974. Figures relate to permanent staff only.

		Number of Staff
Date		MSC/ESA/TSA	HSC/HSE
1st January 1974	…	12	—
1st April 1974	…	5,475	—
1st July 1974	…	5,732	—
1st October 1974	…	18,146	—
1st January 1975	…	18,571	—
1st April 1975	…	19,114	2,626
1st July 1975	…	19,690	2,965
1st October 1975	…	20,418	3,031
1st January 1976	…	20,862	3,122
1st April 1976	…	21,241	3,281
1st July 1976	…	21,867	3,387
1st October 1976	…	22,401	3,510

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps his insolvency division has taken to pay to workers made redundant by the liquidation of Flexidata Limited of Haverhill any and all moneys due to them under the Contract of Employment Acts and Employment Protection Act.

Payments have been made already in respect of arrears of pay and holiday pay. It is hoped to settle claims for payment in lieu of notice in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what further steps he is taking to improve employment prospects for school leavers in Kirkby.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the total number of school leavers currently unemployed: (a) on Merseyside, (b) in Kirkby and (c) in Ormskirk;(2) how many school leavers who left school in summer 1976 are still unemployed: (

I regret that due to industrial action complete statistics of the unemployed have not been collected since October. However, the majority of school-leavers register with the Careers Service provided by local education authorities and on 9th December 1976 the number registered at careers offices was (a) 5,227 on Merseyside, (b) 583 in Kirkby and (c) 13 in Ormskirk.The statistics do not identify the date of leaving school, but the great majority of those unemployed in December were 1976 summer term leavers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of employment prospects on Merseyside, in Kirkby and in Ormskirk for the next 12 months.

I regret that it is not possible for my Department to make any meaningful estimate of future employment prospects in Merseyside, in Kirkby or in Ormskirk, as these are likely to depend to a considerable extent on the way in which the general economic situation develops.These areas have benefited from the special measures we have introduced to alleviate unemployment, and the Government will continue to do everything possible to improve employment prospects there.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is intended to be the term of the Shell-Esso participation agreement; and whether it is intended that the 100 per cent. buy-back provisions should be limited only by the life of the oil fields.

The Memoranda of Principles agreed with Shell and Esso cover the lifetime of present and future commercial fields under the Companies' existing licences. The term of the agreements will be only one of the conditions attaching to the buy-back provisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy under the Shell-Esso participation agreement at what price it is intended that BNOC should purchase the North Sea crude oil; and how that price is to be determined.

The Memoranda of Principles agreed with Shell and Esso provide for BNOC to pay market price for any oil taken under the participation agreements. The mechanism for determining that price will be settled in drawing up binding agreements.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy under the Shell-Esso participation agreement at what price it is intended that the petroleum companies should repurchase the crude oil from the BNOC; and whether any fee or commission is intended on the resale.

The Memoranda of Principles agreed with Shell and Esso provide for the companies to repurchase crude oil at the same market price as BNOC pays them for crude oil.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his policy on the continuance of Paraffin Maximum Price Orders in the light of the fact that the price of paraffin—inner zone—has risen from 21·5p a gallon under S.I., 1973, No. 2188 to 43p a gallon under S.I., 1976, No. 1840, an increase of over 100 per cent.

The increase in the cost of imported crude oil since December 1973 of over 200 per cent. is the main reason for the increase in price of all oil products. Our price control policy on paraffin is to keep increases in the maximum retail price to the minimum consistent with ensuring security of supply and is kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in negotiations with the Turkish Government for payment of damages to United Kingdom citizens in respect of loss and injury caused by the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

As indicated in my reply of 19th November to the Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Price) individual claims arising from the period of hostilities in Cyprus in July and August 1974 have now been lodged with the Government of Turkey. The Turkish Government have stated that they wish to help resolve the issue and have said they will give serious consideration to these claims in a positive spirit of goodwill.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy toward securing the implementation of the United Nations resolution on Cyprus, especially the right of refugees of all communities to return to their own homes.

Her Majesty's Government abstained from voting on the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 31/12 of 12th November 1976 about Cyprus. We continue to believe, however, that the intercommunal talks, held under the auspices of Dr. Waldheim, offer the best means of achieving a peaceful and negotiated settlement to the Cyprus problem including the problem of refugees Her Majesty's Government, in conjunction with their EEC partners, and the United States, will continue to work hard for an early resumption of the talks and in particular will urge the parties concerned to adopt more flexible negotiating attitudes.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations were received at the time of the proclamation of Her Majesty's sovereignty over Rockall and have since been received from the Government of the Republic of Ireland or from any other Government relative thereto; and what was the nature of the replies sent.

No formal representations have been received about British sovereignty over the island of Rockall from the Irish or any other Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will clarify the present position on Rhodesia.

The Rhodesia Conference Chairman, Mr. Ivor Richard, has completed his first round of consultations in Africa with the parties concerned. These consultations have shown that there are still wide gaps between their respective positions, and it became necessary to defer the reconvening of the conference in Geneva which was originally planned for 17th January. Mr. Richard is now, however, embarking on a second round of consultations and a decision about the reconvening of the conference will be made in the light of these.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what remuneration is being received by Mr. Ivor Richard as Chairman of the Rhodesian Geneva Conference.

Whilst Chairman of the Rhodesia Conference, Mr. Richard continues to receive the salary of £18,675 a year paid to him as United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York, together with the allowances pertaining to that post. In addition, whilst at Geneva or travelling he is paid the appropriate daily rate of subsistence.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to visit Rhodesia.

In his statement to the House on 14th December my right hon. Friend said that if at the end of Mr. Richard's consultations it proved appropriate or desirable he would himself go either to Africa or to the resumed conference at Geneva. My right hon. Friend stands by that statement, but at present he has no plans to visit Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the cost to public funds of Mr. Robert Mugabe's attendance at the Geneva Rhodesian Conference.

The sum of £43,401 has been expended in connection with the attendance of Mr. Mugabe and his delegation at the Rhodesia Conference.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the cost to public funds of the Rhodesia Geneva Conference to the present date.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. and learned Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Mr. Fairbairn) on 18th January 1977.—[Vol. 924, c. 101.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to have the Abou Daoud affair and the fight against organised international terrorism put on the agenda for discussion at the next EEC Council of Ministers (Foreign Affairs) meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will raise in the Council of Ministers the matter of the action of the French Government in releasing the Arab terrorist leader, Abou Daoud, as a breach of the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism.

It is for States to deal with individual cases within their jurisdiction in accordance with the law. As I told the hon. Member for Shrewsbury (Sir J. Langford-Holt) in reply to a question on 17th January, the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism is not yet in force; it opens for signature on 27th January on which date Her Majesty's Government intend to sign the Convention. Her Majesty's Government together with the other member Governments of the European Community, have made plain their abhorrence of acts of terrorism, notably in the European Council's statement of 13th July 1976. The European Council's statement is being followed up in the political co-operation framework and a group of senior officials has been established for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when negotiations will begin between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of the German Democratic Republic to settle claims arising from assets held by British nationals.

It is expected that the processing of claims received by the Foreign Compensation Commission will be completed by the end of February. These claims will then be presented to the Government of the German Democratic Republic and it is hoped that negotiations will commence as soon as they have completed their examination of the claims.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the personnel and terms of reference of the investigation of the working of the 11-plus examination.

A Working Party has been established to examine the method of transfer at 11-plus from primary to secondary schools in an interim period while the reorganisation of secondary education is under consideration. The membership of the Working Party includes representatives of teachers' organisations, education and library boards, voluntary school authorities and the Northern Ireland Department of Education.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of dwellings completed by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive was started before the executive was set up.

This information is not readily available, since the Northern Ireland Housing Executive assumed responsibility for the housing functions of 65 former local authorities over a period of 21 months from 4th October 1971 to 2nd July 1973.The digest of Housing Statistics, copies of which are in the Library, shows that at July 1973 there were 6,978 dwellings under construction. Between 2nd July 1973 and 30th November 1976, the latest date for which information is available, the Housing Executive completed 18,417 dwellings.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement about the use of Gough Barracks, Armagh.

Gough Barracks were vacated by the Army in 1976, and the Police Authority for Northern Ireland, with the agreement of the Ministry of Defence, has since made limited use of the premises to provide additional accommodation for the RUC.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in which hospitals there is a shortage of nurses; and for what reasons.

Nursing vacancies exist at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Stradreagh, Waterside, Altnagelvin, Gransha, St. Columb's, Roe Valley, Derg Valley, Tyrone and Fermanagh and Tyrone County hospitals. These vacancies have arisen partly because of the opening of new facilities, partly because of an increase in nursing establishments at certain hospitals and, in the case of the Western Health and Social Services Board, partly because of a shortage in nursing accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the strength of the Royal Ulster Constabulary at 1st January 1976 and at 1st January 1977; and what was the strength of the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve at 1st January 1976 and at 1st January 1977.

The information is as follows:

		Strength (men and women) on 1st January
		1976	1977
RUC	…	4,902	5,253
RUC (Reserve):
Full-time	…	661	870
Part-time	…	4,158	3,827
Total	…	4,819	4,697

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many British soldiers were killed in Northern Ireland during 1976.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Burton (Mr. Lawrence) on 14th January 1977.—[Vol. 923, c. 606.]

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Department of Finance proposes to make regulations under Section 84(1) of the Licensing Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 designating dance halls as "places of public entertainment" for licensing purposes.

Representations have been made on behalf of the Northern Ireland Entertainment and Leisure Centres Association for such regulations to be made and I am considering these representations.

asked the Attorney-General (1) what would be the estimated increase necessary in the charges for obtaining information from the Register of County Court Judgments in order to avoid any further shortfall in the cost of maintaining the register between the current year and the forthcoming year;(2) what overall percentage increases in charges have been made for those obtaining information from the Register of County Court Judgments in each of the past three years; and what overall increases in revenues have resulted;(3) what has been the deficit/surplus in maintaining the Register of County Court Judgments in each of the past three years; and what is the estimated deficit/surplus for the current year and the forthcoming year.

The Registry's income and deficits have been:

		Income
1974–75	…	£102,000
1975–76	…	£122,000
1976–77 (estimated)	…	£258,000
		Deficit
1974–75	…	£102,000
1975–76	…	£169,000
1976–77 (estimated)	…	£124,000

The charges remained unchanged from 1959 until 1975, when the smaller fees were on average quadrupled, and the bulk charges trebled. To avoid a deficit in 1977–78, it will be necessary to raise charges by over 60 per cent.

asked the Attorney-General how many judgments have been recorded in the Register of County Court Judgments in each of the past three years.

The number of judgments recorded in the Register of County Court Judgments was 701,413 in 1974, 760,075 in 1975 and 745,298 in 1976.

asked the Attorney-General (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a table to show the occupational background of magistrates: (a) for 1965. and (b) for 1975;

I am advised by my noble Friend that the information asked for in respect of the occupational background and political allegiance of magistrates is not presently available in a form which summarises the relevant facts for the whole of England and Wales. If the hon. Member has any particular geographical areas or magisterial benches in mind, my noble Friend will be happy to provide him with such specific information as may be available. I am advised by my noble Friend that the information asked for in respect of the social class of magistrates according to the Registrar-General's classification is not available in any form.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will give the rules, if any, applying an age limit of appointment for justices of the peace; and to what extent this age limit is applied to QCs, judges and others holding judiciary and other legal appointments.

There is no statutory limit on the maximum age of candidates for appointment as justices of the peace other than that which is implicit in the requirement that, with very limited exceptions, they may not sit judicially after they have reached the age of 70. In practice, however, in order to achieve a reasonable balance of age-groups on the magisterial benches, it has been the general policy of successive Lord Chancellors for some years to require candidates to be below the age of 60, and whenever possible well below that age. Similarly, there is no formal age limit governing the appointment of judges and the holders of other legal offices, but my noble Friend has regard to the length of time which anyone appointed may be expected to serve before reaching the retiring age.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in the light of the latest conviction in Bristol and the information supplied to him, he will instruct the Director of Public Prosecutions to take action against those responsible for counselling, procuring and abetting the collection of funds without permits and the obtaining of money by deception by members of the various associations, charities and limited companies associated with the Sun Myung Moon Foundation and the Unification Church.

I have asked for a report on the case mentioned by my hon. Friend. If evidence emerges which would justify further police inquiries I will, of course, refer it to the DPP.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions evidence of a conspiracy by trustees of the Sun Myung Moon Foundation and the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity and associated limited companies to raise loans of up to £600,000 with the intention illegally to export these sums to the United States of America.

No such evidence has been supplied to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what will be the impact of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's public spending cuts announced on 15th December 1976 on the school building programme in Bedford.

As a result both of the Chancellor's statement and of the rate support grant settlement, the school building allocations for Bedfordshire in 1976–77 and 1977–78 have been reduced—from £3,600,000 to £3,457,000 in 1976–77 and from £2,910,000 to £2,698,000 in 1977–78. The distribution of these reductions amongst school building projects in Bedford is a matter for the Bedfordshire local education authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the children immunised in the Medical Research Council whooping cough trials were randomly selected; whether children who might possibly be at risk were omitted; and if he will make a statement on the method of selection of the children.

I am informed that the answer to the first and second parts of the question is "Yes" and that different methods of random selection were used for different parts of the trials, as described in reports published in the British Medical Journal of 30th June 1951 and 25th August 1956.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether parents whose children were immunised in the Medical Research Council whooping cough trials were informed, in writing, that their children were taking part in a trial.

I am informed that the answer is "Yes, before parents completed consent forms."

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Medical Research Council's working group on treatment for retinitis pigmentosa was set up; what its terms of reference are; who are its members; and what progress it has made.

This Working Party first met on 6th September 1976. Its tasks are to review the present state of knowledge of the retinal dystrophies, to evaluate currently available therapeutic measures and to identify areas for research.The members of the Working Party are:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money has been allocated by or to the Medical Research Council for research into retinitis pigmentosa in each of the last four years.

Most of the work supported by the Council which is relevant to retinitis pigmentosa has formed part of wider programmes of research. The Council cannot, therefore, accurately isolate a figure for the cost of retinitis pigmentosa research, but estimate this at about £24,000 in the current year and a little less in the three previous years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department takes to ensure that when visitors from overseas are allowed to enter Great Britain on a temporary visa for a stated period they actually return when their time is up; why this was not enforced in the case of Mr. Tokumbo Ademiluyi; and to what extent the practice adopted by Mr. Ademiluyi, details of which have been supplied to him, is being operated by other temporary visitors.

Selective routine checks are made on passengers admitted on a temporary basis to ensure that they have left by the end of their permitted stay. Machinery exists to trace those who fail to embark, though this cannot always be successful. Where an evader is traced or otherwise comes to notice, the Home Secretary may take action to deport him; alternatively, on conviction, a court may recommend deportation—as, I understand, has happened in the case of Mr. Ademiluyi. It is my policy to act on such a court recommendation unless there are substantial reasons for not doing so. I shall consider Mr. Ademiluyi's case when I have a report from the police.I am determined to ensure that all practicable measures are taken to combat overstaying. It is, however, impracticable to quantify the number of cases in which the circumstances are similar to those of Mr. Ademiluyi, because of their very nature.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the difference in circumstances which allowed a would-be immigrant whose case was under consideration to be granted temporary release when applied for by the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Lyons) and other Government Members, but declined when applied for by the hon. Member for Rochdale;(2) if he will make a statement as to what are the rules and criteria used by immigration officers at Heathrow in determining whether a would-be immigrant, whose case is under consideration, should be detained or granted temporary release.

The Immigration Act 1971 provides for the temporary admission of persons awaiting a decision to give or refuse leave to enter or pending their removal following refusal of such leave. In deciding whether to grant temporary admission, immigration officers consider each case on its merits, taking into account, in particular, the likelihood that the detainee will comply with any conditions or restrictions imposed and any special factors such as age or health which make detention undesirable.The hon. Member for Rochdale (Mr. Smith) has written to the Home Office about the case in which he has made representations and a reply will shortly be sent to him. I would add that in the circumstances of this case, temporary admission would not have been appropriate and would not have been granted in response to representations from any hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will reimburse the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police Force the costs incurred in providing protection for the Royal Family at the Silver Jubilee fleet review estimated to be £177,000.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to a Question from him on 18th January.I understand that the estimate quoted by the hon. Member refers to the total additional cost of all police activities in connection with the whole of the Jubliee celebrations in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight—principally, but not exclusively, the Fleet Review. The cost to the Hampshire Police Authority of providing protection for the Royal Family at the Fleet Review has not been separately identified, but is likely to be minimal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, in view of paragraph 2 of the schedule to the Police Act 1976, specifying that the staff of the Police Complaints Board are not to be civil servants, the Secretary of the Board is to be an Assistant Secretary at present employed at the Home Office and other posts, the equivalent of two Principals, four HEOs, and 14 EOs, are to be filled in the first instance by personnel seconded to the Board from within the Civil Service.

Paragraph 2 of the Schedule to the Police Act 1976 is concerned with the status of the Police Complaints Board and not with the provenance of its members or staff. Appointments to the staff are a matter for the Board, but I understand that the Chairman has approved the staffing arrangements in question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present position in the case of Luis M. Carrasco raised in a letter to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary dated 24th November 1976 from the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury.

Entry clearance was granted to Mr. Carrasco on 17th January and notified to our Embassy in Santiago on the following day.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the amount provided in each of the past five years to the latest available date by the Government for support of research and development in shipbuilding and marine engineering; and what proportion this represents of the total research and development expenditure.

Department of Industry expenditure in each of the past five years on shipbuilding and marine engineering R & D is set out below. It represents about ¼ per cent. of total expenditure on industrial innovation—public expenditure programme 4.

Year			On shipbuilding and Marine Engineering R & D (£M)
1976–77	…	…	0·96 (estimated)
1975–76	…	…	0·92
1974–75	…	…	0·73
1973–74	…	…	0·39
1972–73	…	…	0·31

asked the Secretary of State for industry if he will make a statement upon the Commission's objections under Article 93 to the United Kingdom Government's scheme to aid instrumentation and automotive equipment.

The Commission wished to examine the extent of the instrumentation and automation industry's problems in an EEC-wide context and the extent of intra-Community trade before taking a decision as to the Scheme's compatability with the Common Market, in accordance with the terms of Articles 92 and 93 of the Treaty of Rome. The procedure laid down in Article 93 has been initiated as a means of obtaining further information and comments from member States.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will state the estimated number of letters handled by postal business during the first half of its financial year 1975–76; and how this compares with the same period of the previous year.

The Post Office informs me that the number of letters handled in the periods in question were:

• 1st April to 4th October 1975 4,871 million
• 1st April to 5th October 1974 5,261 million

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what information he obtains from the Post Office, and at what intervals, before approving its capital investment programmes.

Each year the Post Office provides my right hon. Friend with proposals for investment and financing for five years ahead. These are set in the context of a medium term plan covering all main aspects of the businesses. A broad strategic framework is also provided by longer term business plans looking 10 years ahead.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what proportion of Government financial assistance given to British aerospace companies from 31st March 1974 to 31st March 1976 is estimated to have gone to Scotland;(2) what proportion of expenditure on military aircraft, civil aircraft and guided weapons and space equipment in Great Britain referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Chertsey and Walton (Mr. Pattie) on 11th January 1977 was spent in Scotland.

Records do not show this information.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, following his answer to the hon. Member for North West Surrey on 28th June 1976, he is yet in a position to make a statement on the NEB's capital structure.

I have nothing to add to that answer.