asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in verifying the statements made in the Hawley Report on immigration procedures.

I have already made it plain, as did my predecessor, that I do not think it appropriate to single out for comment an internal report which forms only one element in the range of advice available to the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce the names of all the members of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Standing Advisory Committee on Race.

I hope to do so shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were (a) cautioned, (b) proceeded against and (c) imprisoned for drunkenness in the last year for which figures are available; and how many in the latter category were women.

The information is as follows:

PERSONS CAUTIONED, PROCEEDED AGAINST AND SENTENCED TO IMMEDIATE IMPRISONMENT FOR SIMPLE DRUNKENNESS OR DRUNKENNESS WITH AGGRAVATION
England and Wales 1975
Cautioned	…	511
Proceeded against	…	102,220
Sentenced to immediate imprisonment—
Males	…	490
Females	…	33
Total	…	523

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if teams in prison to identify with and deal with drink problems have yet been set up;

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to his Questions on 13th October 1975.—[Vol. 897, c. 576.]—While pressure on the resources of the prison system continues there is no likelihood of forming special teams or units to identify and deal with the drink problems of prisoners.Training is, however, continuing to help prison staff generally to recognise alcoholism and its associated problems; and, despite a number of vacant prison medical officer posts, specialist treatment is still widely available.The unit established at Wormwood Scrubs prison continues to provide treatment for a range of addiction problems including alcoholism.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if advice is given to police officers on the problem of and treatment facilities for habitual drunken offenders.

The initial training of police officers includes instruction on the general law relating to drunkenness. It is for the chief officer of police for the area concerned to give further advice to his officers, taking into account any special circumstances or facilities locally. In addition, last year my Department issued a circular to chief officers of police about Section 34 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972 which, inter alia, explained what progress was being made in the establishment of detoxification centres. Chief officers are advised individually of any intention to approve an establishment as a medical treatment centre for alcoholics in their area.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women were imprisoned for drunkenness in each of the last five years; and what was the average length of sentence.

The information which is available is as follows:

PERSONS SENTENCED TO IMMEDIATE IMPRISONMENT FOR SIMPLE DRUNKENNESS OR DRUNKENNESS WITH AGGRAVATION
Year				Number of persons	Average length of prison sentence (days)
1971
Males	…	…	…	527	28
Females	…	…	…	15	27
1972
Males	…	…	…	554	27
Females	…	…	…	23	33
1973
Males	…	…	…	482	27
Females	…	…	…	15	31
1974
Males	…	…	…	423	38
Females	…	…	…	13	32
1975
Males	…	…	…	490	29
Females	…	…	…	33	29

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use has so far been made of Section 34 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972; and how many persons were involved.

The only establishment approved so far for the purposes of Section 34 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services as a medical treatment centre for alcoholics was opened in Leeds on 3rd May last year. Provisional figures for the period up to the end of 1976 show that there were 462 admissions to the centre under Section 34 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972. These admissions involved 197 different persons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what authority the Brent Community Relations Council is able to pay public money to support its principal officer while he studies for the Bar.

Community relations councils are voluntary autonomous bodies, but they receive a grant from the Community Relations Commission for the payment of salaries of community relations officers. The conditions attached by the Community Relations Commission to this grant include provision for academic and special leave. I am informed that a proposal on the lines indicated has been considered by the Commission, but that the Commission has decided it could not authorise the use of its grant for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers of the Community Relations Commission are on sabbatical leave and drawing full pay.

One.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks he makes on the expenditure of the Community Relations Commission.

Control by my Department over expenditure by the Community Relations Commission of its grant in aid is exercised in accordance with the provisions of the Race Relations Act 1968. The Commission's accounts are subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General and a summary of them is published in the Commission's Annual Reports presented to Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) of the persons allowed to settle in the United Kingdom from the New Commonwealth since 1970, what percentage of the total was not wives and children or male United Kingdom passport holders;(2) how many relatives who were not wives or children of the spouse have been admitted for settlement from the New Commonwealth in each of the last five years, whether on entry or on revocation of conditions;(3) of the wives and children of men settled here who have themselves been allowed to settle here from the New Commonwealth over the last five years, what percentage came from in the United Kingdom from the New Commonwealth over the last five years, what percentage came from the Indian sub-continent and what percentage was United Kingdom passport holders.

Changes resulting from the Immigration Act 1971, and in recording practice, have made this information available for 1975 and, in future, for subsequent years; but information on a comparable basis is not in general available for previous years when wives and other adult women were recorded as a single category.In 1975, 37 per cent. of those people from the New Commonwealth and from Pakistan who were allowed to settle either on arrival or on removal of the time limit on their stay were not wives and children, or male UKPH; 11·6 thousand relatives—7·7 thousand adult men, of whom 5·0 thousand were husbands, and 3·9 thousand adult women—other than wives and children were similarly accepted for settlement. Figures are available for previous years of the numbers of adult male relatives accepted for settlement: 4·4 thousand—of whom 2·0 thousand were husbands—in 1974, 3·1 thousand in 1973 and, on a different basis prior to the coming into force of the Immigration Act 1971, 1–9 thousand in 1972, 1·0 thousand in 1971 and 0·9 thousand in 1970.As to the origin of wives and children of men—and, in the case of children, of women also—already settled here, accepted for settlement in 1975 from the New Commonwealth and Pakistan, 54 per cent. were citizens of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan and 20 per cent. were UKPH.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has asked the Inland Revenue not to grant 714 certificates, enabling sub-contractors in the building industry to be paid gross, to ex-prisoners.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations are being undertaken by his Department in preparation for the World Administrative Radio Conference in 1979.

This is a very important conference, the results of which will govern the allocation of radio frequencies to particular services, probably until the end of this century. We have already undertaken a substantial measure of consultation with both users and manufacturers of radio equipment during the preliminary phase of our work for the conference; but at this stage, before the United Kingdom's proposals for the conference are formulated, we think a rather wider programme of consultation is desirable. Inevitably there will be conflicts between the claims of different services. Significant decisions will have to be made about economic and social priorities; large-scale investment plans will be affected. In the circumstances we consider it right to make every effort to ensure that any whose interests may be affected should have an opportunity to state their views before our decisions are made. Those known to have an interest will be specifically invited to comment; but comments will be welcomed from any members of the public. They should be in writing and should reach the Home Office Radio Regulatory Department, Waterloo Bridge House, Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UA, by 30th April 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will circulate in the Official Report the proportion of acquittals in contested cases before magistrates' courts and the Crown Court in respect of offences which can now be tried at the Crown Court but which under the Criminal Law Bill [Lords] would be triable solely before magistrates' courts.

We have been able very recently to extract from the Criminal Statistics the following information on acquittal rates in this category. The information in the Criminal Statistics generally, and therefore in the following table, is recorded on the "principal offence" basis as defined in Chapter 1 of Criminal Statistics 1975 (Cmnd 6566). This means that where one person pleads not guilty to several charges in one set of proceedings and is acquitted on all, the outcome is recorded against the principal offence only, but that if he is convicted on one or more charges and acquitted on others the principal offence on which he is convicted is recorded. As separate figures are not available for thefts of £20 or less or for criminal damage of £100 or less, some other available information about offences

PLEAS AND ACQUITTALS FOR CERTAIN OFFENCES BY TYPE OF COURT—1975
	Magistrates' Courts			The Crown Court
		Pleading not guilty			Pleading not guilty
Act or Section	Number of persons pleading guilty of not guilty	Number	Proportion of those pleading not guilty who were acquitted per cent.	Number of persons pleading guilty or not guilty	Number	Proportion of those pleading not guilty who were acquitted per cent.
Police Act 1964 s. 51(1)	7,075	1,457	27	546	225	20
Sexual Offences Act 1956 s. 32	627	43	77	40	28	61*
Public Order Act 1936 s. 5 and Public Meetings Act 1908 s. 1(1)	5,149	1,358	57	339	148	28
Theft Act 1968
Stealing from the person of another—
under £5	855	107	70	116	79	32
£5 and over	1,186	104	77	166	85	32
Stealing in a dwelling other than from automatic machines and meters—
under £5	935	4	60	56	16	31*
£5 and over	2,591	219	61	239	91	54
Stealing by an employee—
under £5	2,808	226	57	202	134	75
£5 and over	8,589	358	54	1,622	500	59
Shoplifting—
under £5	45,093	4,941	52	1,232	901	57
£5 and over	22,277	1,326	50	1,141	487	38
Theft or unauthorized taking of motor vehicle	36,818	2,991	72	2,673	706	57
Handling stolen goods	19,011	2,085	62	5,087	1,829	51
Other theft, etc.—
under £5	35,900	3,755	64	1,419	615	61
£5 and over	41,620	3,568	61	4,194	1,572	56
Criminal Damage Act 1971
s. 1 (Arson)	1,381	218	51	666	140	31
Criminal damage endangering life	23	7	57*	24	5	20*
Other criminal damage—
£20 or under	23,607	3,443	61	606	252	58
over £20	14,665	1,815	55	811	315	44
Possession with intent or threat to commit criminal damage	386	80	73	61	39	28*
Unfit to drive through drink or drugs: Road Traffic	57,150	2,132	42	2,455	1,234	40
* Percentages based on small numbers.

asked the Attorney-General what consideration he has given to the transfer of the various jurisdictions of the courts in administrative matters to an administrative court within the High Court.

I am aware that such a suggestion has been made more than once in connection with proposals for a wide review of administrative law. As my right hon. and learned Friend said on 10th November last in

asked the Attorney-General when he intends to bring into effect the proposed new rules for legal aid in undefended divorce actions.

My noble Friend the Lord Chancellor hopes shortly to make regulations bringing the new arrangements into force on 1st April next. These regulations will be laid before Parliament in the usual way.

asked the Lord President of the Council what is the cost of circulating Order Papers and Order Books to Members of Parliament; what is the cost of delivering daily copies of the Official Report; and if the two deliveries can be amalgamated.

Order Papers and Order Books are available to Members in the House. The cost of delivering by hand the Vote Bundle, which includes the Order Paper, to Members within three miles of the House is approximately £14,500 per annum. Copies of the Vote Bundle are sent by post to Members outside the three-mile limit at an approximate cost of £5,500 per annum.Copies of the

asked the Minister for Overseas Development whether he will cause a copy of the Dalibard Report for UNESCO on the damage to religious and artistic property in Cyprus to be laid in the House of Commons.

The Report made by Mr. Dalibard to the Director-General of Unesco on the situation regarding the preservation of the cultural heritage of Cyprus was sent to the Government of the Republic of Cyprus but, in accordance with Unesco procedure in such cases, it is for the Cyprus Government to decide what distribution they wish to give it.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost of salting the motorways of the United Kingdom has been in each of the years ending 31st March 1974, 1975 and 1976.

An estimate at outturn prices of the cost of winter maintenance of motorways in the United Kingdom which includes salting and snow ploughing in each of the respective years is as follows:—1973–74, £0·910 million; 1974–75, £1·160 million; 1975–76, £1·42 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of the York bypass, the estimated cost of the Tadcaster bypass and the projected cost of the Malton and Seamer bypasses; and when he expects the Malton bypass to commence.

The total cost of the York outer bypass is expected to be approximately £13·34 million; it is not possible to give an exact figure until final accounts are settled. The estimated costs of the Tadcaster, Malton, and Seamer and Crossgates bypasses are £7·84 million, £7·3 million and about £2·35 million respectively. My right hon. Friend hopes to make a statement very soon on the timing of future road schemes in the light of the recent cuts in public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will indicate, county by county, the number of miles of roads maintainable by his Department in England, Scotland and Wales.

Roads in Scotland and Wales are the responsibility of the respective Secretaries of State. The following is the information for England.

MILEAGES OF ALL-PURPOSE TRUNK ROADS AND TRUNK ROAD MOTORWAYS IN ENGLAND AS AT 1ST APRIL 1976
County		Motorways	All-Purpose
G.L.C.	…	16	133
Greater Manchester	…	69	78
Merseyside	…	22	54
South Yorkshire	…	49	84
Tyne and Wear	…	2	29
West Midlands	…	28	60
West Yorkshire	…	52	151
Avon	…	54	56
Bedfordshire	…	16	70
Berkshire	…	48	59
Buckinghamshire	…	34	36
Cambridgeshire	…	—	203
Cheshire	…	61	183
Cleveland	…	—	24
Cornwall	…	—	147
Cumbria	…	60	256
Derbyshire	…	22	117
Devon	…	12	201
Dorset	…	—	58
Durham	…	29	50
East Sussex	…	—	46
Essex	…	10	99
Gloucestershire	…	32	163
Hampshire	…	50	156
Hereford/Worcester	…	50	144
Hertfordshire	…	45	118
Humberside	…	19	121
Kent	…	39	138
Lancashire	…	87	165
Leicestershire	…	38	128
Lincolnshire	…	—	221
Norfolk	…	—	135
North Yorkshire	…	9	220
Northamptonshire	…	28	132
Northumberland	…	—	135
Nottinghamshire	…	12	129
Nxfordshire	…	9	148
Salop	…	11	159
Somerset	…	42	96
Staffordshire	…	40	168
Suffolk	…	—	124
Surrey	…	35	59
Warwickshire	…	21	161
West Sussex	…	5	63
Wiltshire	…	29	131
Wight, Isle of	…	—	—
Total	…	1,185	5,408

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is the planned expenditure for each of the following items for 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80: motorway and trunk road construction, motorway and trunk road maintenance, and local authority road construction and local authority road maintenance;(2) what is the planned expenditure for each of the following items for 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80: local public transport investment, centrally funded surface transport investment, centrally funded British Railways subsidies, bus fuel grants, new bus grants, concessionary fares, total public expenditure on roads, total public transport subsidies and investment, and total publicity funded surface transport, all at 1976 survey prices.

This information will be available very shortly in the forthcoming White Paper on public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how the £87 million road cut of July 1976 is to be allocated between the motorway and trunk road programme and the local authority road programme and between England, Scotland and Wales.

The figures are as follows:

£ million
		Motorways and Trunk Roads	Local authority Roads	Total
England	…	60·3	14·7	75·0
Wales	…	2·0	2·0	4·0
Scotland	…	8·0	—	8·0
Total	…	70·3	16·7	87·0

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many letters he has written to, how many delegations and deputations he has received from, and how many warnings he has given to the South Yorkshire County Council about the consequences of running passenger transport in deficit.

In December 1975 the county council was warned that the 1977–78 transport supplementary grant settlement would reflect the extent to which it complied with the Government's revenue support objectives during 1976–77. My hon. Friend the then Minister for Transport, emphasised the same point when he visited South Yorkshire in April last year. He subsequently wrote to all the metropolitan counties and the GLC in July seeking a reconsideration of their revenue support policies.In the course of determining the settlement for 1977–78 I wrote to the leaders of all the metropolitan counties and the GLC requesting a review of those estimates in their transport policies and programmes. I further explained the Government's position in two subsequent letters to the South Yorkshire County Council and also when I met a deputation from the council towards the end of October.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport in view of the fact that the Darlington owner of the vehicle SYT 699M first applied for a vehicle registration document in July 1976 after numerous inquiries failed to obtain the document, and, after an assurance had been given to the hon. Member for Darlington on 22nd December 1976 that the matter would be given immediate attention and in a further letter on 14th January 1977 that it was hoped to resolve the matter quickly, he has still not received his registration document what steps he proposes to take to resolve this long delay in the issue of documents by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre, Swansea.

None. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre kept its promise to send a registration document to the owner of the car as soon as possible. They have also written to my hon. Friend explaining why the document could not be issued sooner.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport why it has taken his Department more than two and a half years to prepare documents necessary to conclude the transaction involving the disposal by his Department of land at 6 High View, Chorleywood, Hertfordshire; and when he expects his Department to be in a position to submit the correct documentation to enable the transaction to be completed.

I have written to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is satisfied that imported motor cycles conform to United Kingdom construction and use regulations.

I have no evidence that motor cycles are being imported into this country that do not comply with the construction and use regulations. If, however, the hon. Member has any such evidence, I am ready to look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations exist on the equipment of motor cycles with radio interference suppressors.

The Wireless Telegraphy (Control of Interference from Ignition Apparatus) Regulations 1973 provide for suppression of ignition apparatus on all internal combustion engines other than aircraft engines. The Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1973 also require all motor vehicles first used on or after 1st April 1974 to bear an approval mark indicating that the vehicle is fitted with specified equipment for suppressing radio interference.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the extra contribution to local authority expenditure in Northumberland in 1977–78 if the rate support grant were calculated on the basis proposed for 1974–75 in the White Paper issued in January 1974, Command Paper No. 5532.

The eventual distribution of the needs element of RSG in 1974–75 followed the formula proposed in Cmnd 5532, and gave Northumberland 0·70 per cent. of the total grant. The same share of the grant prescribed in the main RSG Order for 1977–78 would have increased Northumberland's entitlement by about £3·5 million. Since payments of the resources element depend partly on rate poundages, no assessment of entitlements for 1977–78, whether on an actual or alternative basis, can yet be made.Cmnd 5532 proposed a scheme of variable domestic relief for those areas with above average rate increases between 1973–74 and 1974–75· It would not be possible to calculate the effect of a similar scheme for 1977–78, but if the proposed scheme had been implemented for 1974–75 only one district in Northumberland would have received relief in excess of the current national figure of 18·5p.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will meet a deputation from the Hereford and Worcester County Council to discuss ways in which the hardship and unemployment that will arise from his decision to vary the basis of the rate support grant may be ameliorated.

I will give favourable consideration to such a meeting; however, neither my right hon. Friend nor I have received a request from the County Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what grants he proposes to make to each local authority in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region in 1977–78 as rate support grant, resources, needs and domestic elements, respectively; and what are the corresponding figures for 1976–77.

Provisional entitlements to needs element under the main RSG Order for 1977–78 together with the corresponding figures at the same stage for 1976–77 are shown in the table below.Comparative figures for the resources and domestic elements are not yet available; but the domestic element payments for each year should be sufficient to meet the prescribed domestic relief of 18·5p in the £.

RATE SUPPORT GRANTS—MAIN ORDER NEEDS ELEMENT
		1976–77	1977–78
		£m.	£m.
Shire Counties
Humberside	…	62·293	68·899
North Yorkshire	…	44·922	44·444
Metropolitan Districts South Yorkshire
Barnsley	…	15·404	16·680
Doncaster	…	23·121	23·322
Rotherham	…	18·103	18·884
Sheffield	…	40·663	44·238
West Yorkshire
Bradford	…	37·540	41·316
Calderdale	…	14·677	16·287
Kirklees	…	27·542	29·880
Leeds	…	50·941	54·668
Wakefield	…	20·685	21·105

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to take any steps to see that Section 24 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 is implemented.

Section 24 places new duties on local authorities and cannot, therefore, be fully implemented while current financial constraints continue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities that have been given stress area status.

No further authorities have been added to those I referred to in the reply I gave to my hon. Friend on Tuesday 18th January.—[Vol. 924, c. 97.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement as to the criteria upon which he has assessed some local authorities for stress area status.

The list of stress authorities was drawn up partially on objective data from the 1971 census about overcrowding, which gives some indication of housing shortage, and lack of bathrooms, which is a rough measure of the quality of the stock. Both items are indicative of the need to increase the stock but may also yield to other measures. For this reason, and also to update this information, we were guided by additional information from our regional offices about housebuilding performance since 1971 and housing needs. Since the original list was published we have examined claims from a further 45 local authorities seeking stress status and these claims were evaluated on a similar basis. Thirteen of these authorities were found to have a sufficiently strong claim and have been added to the list.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total annual cost in rent, maintenance and services of office and storage accommodation for Government Departments in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

The expenditure falling on the Vote of my Department is £147·6 million, £10·9 million, and £6 million for England and Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales respectively. This excludes expenditure on the accommodation of those agencies of central Government which are responsible for their own accommodation costs, but includes a small amount of expenditure on miscellaneous accommodation such as research buildings and laboratories which cannot be identified without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to prohibit the sales of all council houses during the current period of financial stringency so as to facilitate the movement from one area to another of, amongst other persons, those unemployed persons seeking work outside their locality.

I have no proposals to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Environment (1) why over two years have elapsed since the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 was enacted without any steps being taken by the Government to take up their powers on fuel conservation;(2) if he has any intention of using the powers on fuel conservation under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974; and, if so, when these will be put into force.

As stated in reply to the hon. Member for Derbyshire South-East (Mr. Rost) on 19th January, we have published informal proposals for building regulations aimed at fuel conservation covering a wide range of buildings. The question of making regulations under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is being considered in the light of the comments received from the many interests concerned. No time has been lost by the absence of regulation-making powers which will be introduced by a commencement order in the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the present energy conservation campaign, he will recommend local authorities to disregard improvement in thermal insulation standards by property owners for the purposes of rate assessment.

Rating assessments are carried out by valuation officers of the Inland Revenue, not by local authorities. A rating assessment is based on the rental value of a property, and any improvement which would increase that value should in principle be reflected in the rateable value. We have no proposals at present to alter this situation, but the position on dwellings is that by virtue of Section 21 of the Local Government Act 1974, improvements of this kind would be ignored until the next general revaluation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his recent meeting with the pipe manufacturing associations; and when he expects to publish his guidelines to regional water authorities on the purchase of materials and equipment for water supply and sewerage.

The meeting was in fact between the responsible Under-Secretaries of State and the representatives of the pipe and plant manufacturers' associations. The meeting was frank, cordial and useful. The guidelines referred to have already been issued.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the value of the work, identified separately as new construction and maintenance, carried out by the Property Services Agency in 1976; and how much of it was overseas.

The figures, including work on repayment for other bodies, are as follows:

		£ million 1976
		Total	Overseas
New work	…	383	45
Maintenance	…	296	72

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of (a) chartered surveyors, (b) quantity surveyors, (c) non-chartered quantity surveyors and (d) quantity surveying assistants currently employed by the Property Services Agency.

The numbers are: (a) 880 chartered surveyors; (b) 374 chartered quantity surveyors (included in (a)); (c) 36 non-chartered quantity surveyors; (d) 466 quantity surveying assistants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many housing starts have been postponed or cancelled in Devon and Cornwall since the Government's announcement of a switch of housing resources to urban stress areas.

No schemes have been cancelled, and the housing programmes for the period up to 31st March 1978 submitted by local authorities in response to Circular 80/76 are currently being discussed with them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet made any scheme for 1977–78 under Section 66 of the London Government Act 1963; and if he will ensure that any such scheme is printed in a parliamentary paper.

Consultations on the form of the scheme for 1977–78 are not yet completed. The scheme will be published as last year, and copies will be placed in the House Library. I expect the scheme to be made and published early next month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the constituencies in the Greater London area which do not have a complete main sewerage disposal service.

I have not a complete list. Generally speaking, the urban areas of Greater London are almost completely served by main drainage, but there are several rural areas around the outer fringes which do not have full main drainage age facilities. These fall within such constituencies as Hillingdon, Uxbridge; Barnet, Chipping Barnet; Enfield, North; Redbridge, Ilford North; Havering, Romford; and Bromley, Orpington; as well as within the hon. Member's own constituency.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Matthew/Skillington report on promoting high standards of architectural design; and whether he will make a statement.

In March 1975 the then Secretary of State for the Environment, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Member for Grimsby (Mr. Crosland), announced that in response to the Matthew /Skillington Report he had appointed Mr. W. D. Lacey to a new post of Director General of Design Services within the Property Services Agency and had set up an Environmental Board within the Department of the Environment.A new multi-professional Design Office which is, by example, assuming a leading rôle in establishing high standards of design, has been set up within the PSA Directorate of Design Services and has embarked on a programme of projects that are representative of PSA's work. Staff are being appointed to it—by redeploying existing resources—in step with its workload, and the present number is 47. The PSA Board has formed a Design Panel for evaluating and monitoring design matters at top management level. In addition, a forum has been arranged at which design leaders in PSA can consider matters of common interest.While it is still premature to assess the achievements of these new arrangements, there are indications that projects are benefiting from the increased attention to design matters that they provide.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what restrictions exist in (a) Jersey and (b) Guernsey on rights of United Kingdom citizens who are non-resident on these islands freely to purchase or occupy houses on these islands;(2) what restrictions exist in (

I have been asked to reply.There are provisions on these matters in the laws of four separate legislatures—the States of Jersey and, in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the States of Guernsey, the States of Alderney and the Chief Pleas of Sark—which it would be impracticable to summarise. I am arranging for copies of the relevant legislation to be sent to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, as a result of the failure of the European Convention on the suppression of terrorism, if Her Majesty's Government will withdraw from the Convention.

No. As I told the hon. Member on 17th January, Her Majesty's Government attach great importance to this Convention. My right hon. Friend intends to sign it tomorrow.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the total number of staff from his Department on the British delegation to the Geneva Conference on Rhodesia; and if he will specify their grades.

The number has fluctuated in accordance with requirements. On 14th December, when the Conference adjourned, the British delegation numbered 12 in addition to the Chairman, Mr. Ivor Richard. Their ranks were: one Assistant Under-Secretary, two Counsellors, one Legal Counsellor, three First Secretaries, one Attaché and four secretarial staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will issue advice to private citizens of the United Kingdom seeking to enter Rhodesia during the continued existence of the illegal regime there so as to minimise the risks of such persons committing offences akin to treason.

Those who contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for advice are informed that the colony is in rebellion against the Crown and that they are liable to prosecution if they contravene United Kingdom sanctions legislation. They are also informed that the security situation in that country is unsettled, that normal consular facilities and protection from Her Majesty's Government are not available and that they might find themselves liable for call up to the Rhodesian Armed Forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sums have been appropriated for the use of each delegation at the Geneva Conference; and under what Vote the sums are authorised.

Expenditure in connection with the attendance of the five delegations at the Rhodesia Conference has been as follows.

Delegation of:				£
Mr. Mugabe	…	…	…	43,401
Bishop Muzorewa	…	…	…	41,522
Mr. Nkomo	…	…	…	41,482
Mr. Sithole	…	…	…	37,718
Mr. Smith	…	…	…	42,528
Total	…	…	…	206,651

This expenditure is being borne on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Other External Relations Vote (Class II, Vote 5)· Also borne on this Vote are the costs relating to the secretariat staff and the provision of office accommodation and services in Geneva amounting to about £47,400.Expenditure in respect of the Chairman and his staff is being met from the Diplomatic and Consular Services Vote (Class II, Vote 1). To date this amounts to about £42,500, excluding the costs of the Chairman's African tour which are not yet known in detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy of the Hong Kong Government on provision of accommodation for homeless families.

Homeless families are offered temporary housing in licensed areas where house water supply, electricity, recreation areas and proper management are all provided. Where such accommodation is not immediately available, homeless families are temporarily housed, as an emergency arrangement, in transit centres before being offered places in licensed areas. A family is usually offered a public housing flat after about four years in a licensed area. The Hong Kong Government have a long-term housing programme designed to minimise the future use of licensed areas, but in the meantime these areas are an indispensable means of accommodating homeless families.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the provisions made for the rehousing of people due to be evicted from the rooftops of 271–281 Sai Yeung Choi Street, Hong Kong, as the result of demolition.

The people to be evicted from the roofstops of 271–281 Sai Yeung Choi Street have been offered temporary accommodation in a transit centre comprising former Army barrack buildings at Shamshuipo, until accommodation in licensed areas becomes available. Licensed area accommodation is not available at present because it was necessary recently to rehouse 1,500 people who had become homeless as a result of large-scale fires. The owner of the premises at Yeung Choi Street has, however, agreed to defer clearance at least until after the Chinesse New Year—18th February—in order to reduce the interval between clearance and the time when licensed area accommodation will be available for the families. This should be possible in April.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange can expect a reply to representations he made personally to the Hong Kong Government on Tuesday 7th September 1976 relating to matters in the New Territories and to which a reply was promised but not received to date.

I understand that my hon. Friend is referring to matters which he raised with the Secretary for the New Territories when he visited Hong Kong last year. The Hong Kong Government have been under the impression that the meeting that my hon. Friend had with the Governor of Hong Kong on 16th September 1976 had disposed of the matters which had arisen during his visit. The Secretary for the New Territories will now be writing to my hon. Friend about the matters he had raised with him then.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the dispute in Tuen Mun has been settled in the New Territories, Hong Kong, concerning land compulsorily purchased, details of which were given personally to the Secretary to the New Territories on 7th September 1976 by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange; what was the original offer of compensation; and what was the final settlement.

All outstanding issues concerning acquisiton of land at Tuen Mun have been resolved. The only case referred to the Land Tribunal for arbitration was that of Mr. Wong Hok-Yee, in which the original offer was $HK55,000, and the Land Tribunal award was $HK67,400.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the problem of sewage disposal in Yuen Long in the New Territories has been resolved, details of which were given personally to the Secretary of the New Territories on 7th September 1976 and to which no reply has been received to date.

Construction of the Yuen Long sewage treatment works is in progress. It is hoped that the plant will be commissioned at the end of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the dispute over the acquisition of land in the Sha Tin Market in the New Territories, Hong Kong, has been settled, details of which were given to the Secretary for the New Territories personally by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange on 7th September 1976 and to which no reply has been received to date.

The Hong Kong Government offered the Crown lessee a land exchange entitlement or cash for the resumption of the land at Sha Tin market, but this offer was not accepted. The land was held in agricultural status, and the owner was offered an equivalent of £54,000 an acre. The land has reverted to the Crown under the Crown Land Resumption Ordinance. The owner may still accept the cash offer, or may make a claim before the Land Tribunal. The tenants who were operating the shops and market stalls on the land have, with one exception, accepted the ex gratia compensation offered to them. In the one outstanding case the amount of compensation has now been agreed, and arrangements are being made for payment.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was paid for the acquisition of land in Sha Tin Market in the New Territories, Hong Kong, by the Government; and how the Government intend to dispose of this land.

As I have said in answer to another of my hon. Friend's Questions today, the owner of the land in question was offered the equivalent of £54,000 an acre, but did not accept. This offer still stands, or the owner may make a claim before the Land Tribunal. The land in question has been acquired for the construction of part of the main trunk road through Sha Tin.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average waiting time hon. Members can expect before a reply is received to written queries to Hong Kong Government Departments.

Hong Kong Government Departments make every effort to answer written queries with the minimum amount of delay. This will normally be about two weeks from the receipt of a letter. If the information is not readily available an interim reply is sent. As I have explained in answer to another of my hon. Friend's Questions today, there was a misunderstanding about the written inquiries that he made of Hong Kong Government Departments during his visit to Hong Kong.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends to make an ex gratia payment as suggested by Mr. Justice Megarry in the course of his judgment in Tito and others v the Attorney-General; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and noble Friend said on 24th January in another place that Her Majesty's Government have for some time been concerned about the future welfare of the islands in this part of the Pacific, and specifically the future of the Banaban community. We have for long intended to help the Banabans, subject to the results of the legal actions. Her Majesty's Government's thinking has not, therefore, been essentially at variance with the Vice-Chancellor's remarks about obligations towards the Banabans. We have had a number of discussions with the partner Governments of Australia and New Zealand and we put certain proposals to them last year to help the Banabans secure their future after phosphate revenues end. Our partners responded sympathetically but indicated that it would be difficult in practice to reach firm conclusions in advance of the judgments.Our thinking and discussions have been, and will continue to be conducted in close consultation with the Governments of Fiji, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Gilbert Islands and the Banaban leaders. Our aim is to achieve as soon as possible a settlement which takes account of the legitimate interests of all the parties concerned in the area, including the Banabans.To assist in achieving such a solution including its constitutional aspects, we are arranging for Mr. Richard Posnett, the former Governor of Belize, to visit the area as soon as possible and to report directly to my right hon. and noble Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why he took steps to prevent the Government of Taiwan from purchasing defensive surface-to-air missile systems such as the BAC Rapier.

It has been the practice of successive Governments not to give details of matters concerning the sale of defence equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what were the number of applications for settlement by wives and children of men settled in the United Kingdom received by each of the posts in the Indian subcontinent for each quarter in the last three years; and what is now the total number of wives and children at each post awaiting a decision on an application they have made;(2) how many applications by wives and children for settlement have been processed at each post in the subcontinent for each quarter of the last three years; and with what results;(3) how many men and women have applied to come to the United Kingdom for marriage at each post in the subcontinent in each quarter of the last three years; and with what result.

I am seeking this information from the posts concerned and will arrange for it to be supplied as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many vouchers were (a) issued, and (b) taken up by United Kingdom passport holders in 1976; and how many are now estimated to be awaiting a voucher.

The number of special vouchers issued to United Kingdom passport holders during 1976 was 3,585. The number of voucher holders who arrived in the United Kingdom during the nine months ended 30th September 1976 was 2,918; the figure for the whole of the year is not yet available. It is not possible to give a reliable estimate of those awaiting a voucher because in many cases applicants do not subsequently take up the vouchers when these are offered to them.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will place in the Library a copy of the Report by the Council of Europe on the breaches of the Declaration of Human Rights arising from acts perpetrated in Cyprus.

The European Human Rights Commission's report on the case of Cyprus v. Turkey has been circulated to the member Governments of the Council of Europe in confidence. Under Council of Europe procedures, the report has now to be considered by the Committee of Ministers, who will also take a decision on whether, and if so when, the report should be published. I cannot anticipate the Committee of Minister's decision on this point.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a policy declaration that the powers of a directly elected Parliament must remain the same as at present and that the Government will not negotiate to extend them; and if he will invite the other United Kingdom party leaders to join him in this declaration.

The Government's position has been made clear on a number of occasions. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister expained it in detail during the debate on direct elections on 29th March 1976 and, in answer to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) on 14th July, he confirmed that any increase in the powers of the Assemby would require the approval of this House and of the eight other Parliaments.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give for a day in October 1974 the total number of civil servants, including industrial civil servants, and the salary and wage bill and similar details for a day in December 1976.

Information on Civil Service numbers is collected quarterly, figures are therefore only available for 1st January, 1st April, 1st July and 1st October. The number of staff in post on 1st October 1974 and 1st October 1976—currently the latest date available—was 687,182 and 746,107 respectively. Information on salary and wage bills for specific dates is not available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost. The total provision for Civil Service wages and salaries—including employer's national insurance

NUMBERS OF PENSIONS PAID TO EX-PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES
	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	(Thousands) 1977 (estimate)
Armed Forces	210	215	220	225	230	235	240
Civil Service*	172	178	190	200	216	226	239
Local Government	160	170	180	190	200	210	220
Teachers	129	132	136	140	144	150	160
National Health Service	81	84	93	101	110	120	130
Police and Fire	55	54	55	55	56	57	58
Total	807	833	874	911	956	998	1,047
* These figures exclude some 20,000 pensions which are fully abated as the individuals are reemployed in the Civil Service.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what would be the total annual saving to public funds if the size of type used for the printing of Hansard were (a) 10 point solid, and (b) 9 point on 10 point.

Hansard is already set in 10 point solid type. If 9 point on 10 point were used, annual savings of about £5,500 could be achieved. However, capital expenditure of about £10,000 would be necessary and production would be slower.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the total annual sum paid in salaries to administrative class civil servants in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

I regret that the information requested is not available, since statistics showing the geographical distribution of individual Civil Service grades are not available. It is

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the categories and numbers of former public service employees in each category in receipt of index-linked pensions in each year since 1971 and estimate the numbers since 1977.

The figures requested are set out in the table below:not therefore possible to calculate the annual salary bill by geographical area.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will publish a table showing the components and the total of net weekly income for each of a Principal, SEO, HEO and HCO: (a) when at work and (b) during the first six months of sick leave, assuming in each case that the person concerned is married with two children not over 11 years, and that he falls sick in week 26 of the tax year.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Mr. MacGregor) on 15th December 1976, from which, on the basis of existing rates of national insurance benefit and earnings related supplement, the components and the net weekly income for each of the levels concerned can be obtained.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many industrial disputes involving the printing of the Official Report and the Order Paper have taken place during the last two years; and if he will make a statement on the non-appearance of the Official Report of 14th January.

There were no industrial disputes involving printing of the Official Report and the Order Paper in 1975. In 1976 there were three separate disputes involving printing unions which affected Parliamentary Papers. The non-appearance of the Official Report of 14th January was due to an industrial dispute involving members of the National Graphical Association at the Parliamentary Press. The Official Report of 14th January was published on 19th January.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many public statutes and statutory instruments, respectively, are currently in force in England and Wales.

Records of legislation in force are kept for the United Kingdom as a whole; information limited to England and Wales is not therefore available. In the United Kingdom, at the end of 1976, there were in force, either wholly or in part, 3,410 public general Acts of the Parliament at Westminster, and about 11,800 general statutory rules and orders—excluding those made in Northern Ireland—and general Statutory Instruments. No records are kept of the number of local Statutory Instruments in force; many of them have effect only for a limited period.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service (1) how many civil servants are employed within the parliamentary constituency of Camden, Holborn and St. Pancras South;(2) if he will list the Government Departments and the number of civil servants in each Department with offices within the parliamentary constituency of Camden, Holborn and St. Pancras South;(3) how many civil servants employed within the parliamentary constituency of Camden, Holborn and St. Pancras South are designated mobile; and how many are designated non-mobile.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 20th January 1977; Vol. 924, c. 277], gave the following answer:Records are not maintained of numbers of Civil Service staff in Parliamentary constituency areas. Information about staff in each Department in the London borough of Camden is as follows:

Department	Number of staff
British Museum	900
Civil Service Department	40
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service	110
Court Service Department	270
HM Customs and Excise	10
Ministry of Defence	5,250
Department of Education and Science	50
Department of Employment	630
Employment Service Agency	190
Department of the Environment	100
Exchequer and Audit Department	30
Export Credits Guarantee Department	10
Office of Fair Trading	10
Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts	20
Health and Safety Executive	80
Department of Health and Social Security	2,280
Home Office	500
Inland Revenue	1,370
Land Registry	150
Manpower Services Commission	60
Ministry of Overseas Development	170
HM Stationery Office	30
Departments of Trade and Industry	1,560
Training Services Agency	180
Total	14,000

Of the total of 14,000, 7,500 staff are designated as mobile and the remainder as non-mobile.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in view of the specific problems involving immigrant schoolchildren in the London borough of Ealing, she will make further funds available for the educational services there.

Grants under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966, are already paid by the Home Office at the rate of 75 per cent. specifically to local authorities. including Ealing, which incur expenditure on staff costs attributable to the difference in language or custom between Commonwealth immigrants and the rest of the community. Also, the wide range of grant aid under the urban programme, from which Ealing has benefited, includes expenditure on the special needs of minority groups.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers were in training for teaching modern languages for each of the last five years.

The number of students on full-time postgraduate courses of initial teacher training and specialising in modern languages over the latest five years for which figures are available were 1971–969; 1972–1,084; 1973–1,008; 1974–912 and 1975–974.Students on non-graduate teacher training courses often study more than one main subject; the number of main options in modern languages recorded for the same years were 5,128; 4,915; 4,778; 4,260; and 3,584.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she has any plans to close the Usk Agricultural College; and if she will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no such plans.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what extra costs are likely to be involved in the proposed incorporation of Keswick Hall teacher training college into the University of East Anglia;(2) how many staff redundancies are likely to follow the proposed incorporation of Keswick Hall teacher training college into the University of East Anglia.

My right hon. Friend's proposal is that discussions about incorporation should proceed on the basis of a reduced teacher-training provision of 400 places. The financial and staffing implications are among the matters which she would expect to be covered in such discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently employed in the alcoholic drink producing and distributing industries in England and Wales.

The Department's employment statistics are analysed according to the Minimum List Headings (MLH) of the Standard Industrial Classification. This identifies separately the production of alcoholic drink. It also identifies public houses. However, activities relating to the distribution of alcoholic drink other than in public houses form a part only of several Minimum List Headings and consequently the numbers of employees involved cannot be identified separately.At June 1975, the latest date for which detailed employment information is available for England and Wales, there were 64,200 employees in employment in brewing and malting (MLH 231), 10,300 employed in "other drink industries" (MLH 239) which covers wines and spirits, and 208,100 employees in public houses (MLH 886).

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many job creation schemes there are to date in England, Wales and Scotland.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the numbers of job creation projects approved to date in England, Wales, and Scotland are 3,743,714 and 1,548 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number and percentage of unemployed registered with the Market Drayton employment exchange; and how these figures are divided between employment categories.

In the area covered by the Market Drayton Employment Office, 491 people were registered as unemployed in January 1977 and the rate of unemployment was 10·2 per cent. These figures are provisional. The following table shows an industrial analysis of the numbers unemployed, at August 1976. These analyses are made quarterly but because of industrial action by some staff in the Department of Employment Group the November count was incomplete.

Percentage rate	11·2
Numbers unemployed	541
I Agriculture, forestry and fishing	53
II Mining and quarrying	1
III Food, drink and tobacco	23
IV Coal and petroleum products	1
V Chemicals and allied industries	8
VII Mechanical engineering	19
IX Electrical engineering	9
X Shipbuilding and marine engineering	1
XI Vehicles	1
XII Metal goods not elsewhere specified	2
XIII Textiles	2
XV Clothing and footwear	14
XVI Bricks, pottery, glass, cement, etc.	4
XVII Timber, furniture, etc.	7
XVIII Paper, printing and publishing	3
XIX Other m anufacturing industries	3
XX Construction	75
XXII Transport and communication	13
XXIII Distributive trades	47
XXIV Insurance, banking finance and business services	10
XXV Professional and scientific services	29
XXVI Miscellaneous services	48
XXVII Public administration and defence	14
Not classified by industry*	154
* Includes school leavers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will list the legislation sponsored by his Department during the past 10 years in which exemption is given for small businesses or the self-employed and the sections of the relevant Acts.

The legislation sponsored by the Department of Employment during the past 10 years in which exemption is given for small businesses is as follows: the Industrial Relations Act 1971, Section 27(1)(a), 57 and 168. Section 27(1)(a) was re-enacted by paragraph 9(1)(a) of Schedule 1 to the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974, which was repealed by paragraph 14(1)(a) of Part III of Schedule 16 to the Employment Protection Act 1975. Sections 57 and 168 were repealed by the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974. The Employment and Training Act 1973, Schedule 2, Part I, paragraph 10.No legislation sponsored by the Department during the past 10 years has contained any provision for the exemption of the self-employed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he takes to ensure that trainees under the TOPS scheme are genuinely seeking to find gainful employment at the end of their training course; and what power he has to recover all or part of the cost of such courses from trainees who are in a position to contribute from their own financial resources.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 25th January 1977; Vol. 924, c. 548], gave the following information:I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that before being accepted for training, applicants must clearly demonstrate to the satisfaction of a skilled interviewer and, in respect of most courses, an additional selection panel, that they are clearly motivated towards employment in the training occupation. While it would be possible for the Manpower Services Commission to require trainees who were in a position to contribute from their own financial resources to bear all or part of the cost of such courses it has at present no plans for introducing such arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his best estimate of the total number of employees employed by companies (a) under 1,500 workers in the United Kingdom, (b) 1,500–2,000 workers in the United Kingdom, (c) 2,000–2,500 workers in the United Kingdom; and (d) over 2,500 workers in the United Kingdom; and how many companies fall into each of the above categories.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 25th January 1977; Vol. 924, c. 549], gave the following information:Comprehensive information is not available about the numbers of employees in companies in various size ranges. Some information, however, is available from the censuses of production for enterprises in the private sector of manufacturing industry. The most recent information relates to 1972 and the following table shows the numbers of persons engaged—that is, both employees and working proprietors—in the size ranges available that are nearest to those requested:

Size Range			Numbers Engaged
(Numbers engaged)			('000s)
Up to 1,499	…	…	2,885·0
1,500 to 1,999	…	…	186·5
2,000 to 2,999	…	…	372·1
3,000 and over	…	…	3,661·3
			7,104·9

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will commission an inquiry into safety at work issues arising from the liquid chlorine system associated with water treatment at power plants.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to his similar Questions by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy today.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether, in view of many recent gas explosions causing damage to persons and property, he will give a general direction to the British Gas Corporation to waive its charges for repairing gas leaks.

The British Gas Corporation levies no charge for any call to investigate a suspected gas leak, nor is there any charge for making safe any leak found. This action may involve cutting off an individual appliance or, where the source of the leak is not immediately apparent, turning off the supply at the meter. A charge is normally made only where a permanent repair is made to an appliance or to pipework which is not the property of British Gas.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list in the Official Report the date and location of each serious gas explosion that has occurred in the United Kingdom during the last three months, involving hospitalisation of one or more persons.

Statistics for recent months are still subject to revision. I am therefore asking the Chairman of British Gas to write to the hon. Member as soon as these figures have been established.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the self-financing ratio of the several State industries within his charge.

The latest firm information is for the financial year 1975–76 when self-financing ratios of the nationalised industries for which my right hon. Friend is responsible were:

		per cent.
National Coal Board*	…	32
British Gas Corporation	…	66
Electricity (England and Wales)†	…	87
* including receipts from the disposal to BNOC of the fixed assets of NCB (Exploration) Ltd.
† compensation for price restraint allowed for in internal resources and working capital requirements.

The British National Oil Corporation came into existence only in the last quarter of the financial year 1975–76; the relevant information for the calendar year 1976 will be available in the Corporation's Annual Report and Accounts for 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the proved reserves of the Statfjord Field, the projected annual production of the field, and the estimated life of the field.

The Statfjord Field is a cross-median field which straddles the United Kingdom-Norwegian boundary line. The major part of the field lies in the Norwegian sector. A published report from the Norwegian Ministry of Industry to the Storting estimates that recoverable reserves for the field as a whole amount to 510 million tons of oil and that approximately 1,000 billion cubic metres of gas will be available for sale. We have not yet confirmed these figures, but in the meantime negotiations for apportionment of reserves between the United Kingdom and Norwegian sectors of the Continental Shelf are proceeding. It is likely that production will continue for 20–25 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has investigated the environmental and safety problems outlined in a memorandum submitted by the Dounreay Experimental Reactor Establishment, a copy of which has already been sent to his Department; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what are the safeguards which would be necessary to provide the appropriate guarantee that accidents arising from fuel storage and toxic materials associated with power production could be prevented;(2) what progress has been made in formulating safety questions about forms of energy production other than conventional ones, and about the kind of accidents possible with other energy sources;(3) in connection with the possible consequences of an accident in conventional energy production, how much warning there would be of a potential failure of the containment of the liquid petroleum gas and chlorine to permit evacuation of the site and neighbouring areas;(4) in the event of an escape of petroleum gas and a subsequent explosion in a concentrated complex, what area would be affected; and what would be the extent of the damage;(5) what are the areas of failure in fuel storage and toxic materials associated with power production which could precipitate a major accident;(6) what work has been done in the United Kingdom on the safety in operation of conventional energy sources; and whether information has been devised bearing on the relative safety in operation of conventional sources and reactors.

A list of questions on the safety of non-nuclear energy sources and power production has been raised by staff at the Dounreay Experimental Research Establishment which covers the points raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Moonman) and the hon. Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeet). I have discussed these with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment in whose field of responsibility they mainly fall, and he is asking the Health and Safety Commission to prepare detailed replies for our consideration. My right hon. Friend will then arrange for a report by the Commission to be laid before the House in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of total costs in manufacturing industry is accounted for by fuel costs on average.

Fuel costs are estimated to account for about 6 per cent. of total costs in manufacturing industry, including labour costs. If labour costs are excluded, then fuel costs are estimated at about 9 per cent. of total costs. In these calculations, manufacturing industry excludes coke ovens, manufactured fuel plants, oil refiners and blenders.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received from the Chairman of the city of Birmingham Housing Committee on the operation of the recently announced electricity discount scheme as it will affect pensioners on supplementary benefit who also benefit from the Birmingham Council's heating and rent payment scheme; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what action he is taking to ensure that pensioners receiving supplementary benefit who are members of Birmingham City Council's heating payments scheme are included in his electricity winter quarter discount scheme.

The Chairman of the city of Birmingham Housing Committee has written to seek the inclusion in the electricity discount scheme of tenants who already benefit from the council's heat and rent payment scheme. I have received a report of a meeting at my Department with officials of the council and I am considering this.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what new steps he proposes to take in his capacity as Chairman of the Council of Energy Ministers to ensure the commencement of the joint European Torus fusion energy research project; and if he will make a statement.

In my capacity as Chairman of the Energy Council I have already met seven of my European colleagues and expect to have completed bilateral discussions with all of them by the end of this week. Dr. Brunner, EEC Commissioner responsible both for energy and for research, science and education, has also called on me. The subject of JET arose a number of times during these discussions and there was general agreement on the need for an early decision. As I explained on 23rd December 1976 in my answer to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South-East (Mr. Rost) collective Community discussions at a Research Council will be arranged as soon as progress appears possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his policy regarding the implementation of the proposals of the European Commission for a Community energy policy.