asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will detail the ways in which his Department's advice to doctors on contra-indications for immunisation against whooping cough differed in the CMO letter 17/74 from the memorandum "Immunisation Against Infectious Diseases"; what was the date of publication of that memorandum; and whether any advice was given prior to that memorandum;(2) when the first advice on the minimum age for administering whooping-cough vaccine was issued by his Department.

The first advice was issued in 1957 when the whooping-cough vaccination programme was introduced. In 1963, after the setting up of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the first memorandum entitled "Immunisation against Infectious Disease" was issued; this was revised in 1965, 1968 and 1972. Advice on contra-indications was included in all these booklets and repeated in CMO letter 17/74. That contained in the CMO letter elaborates the advice given in the 1972 edition of the memorandum.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of his decision to stop remanding girls under 15 years of age to adult prisons as of 15th March, what provision he is making to provide secure accommodation for girls convicted of unlawfulness in the administrative county of Suffolk.

When the age for remand to Prison Department establishments is raised it will fall to local authorities to find accommodation for those girls who are instead remanded to their care. In children's regional planning area No. 6, which includes Suffolk, Cambridgeshire is building a new observation and assessment centre for girls which will have six secure places and will be available to all the local authorities in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what secure accommodation will be available in Lancashire for the reception of girls under 15 years of age who, on conviction, will no longer be remanded to prison after 15th March 1977.

According to the approved children's regional plan for area 3—the North-West—the observation and assessment centre for girls provided by Manchester has four secure places and is available to all the local authorities in the region. The number of 14-year-old girls affected by the proposed order is not large; on average there are less than 20 each year for the whole of England and Wales—the majority stay for up to two weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what will be the cost of extending the mobility allowance to all those awarded a tricycle as an out-of-phase applicant or the allowance during 1976, when they reach 60 to 65 years retirement age in each of the next five years.

Clause 12 of the Miscellaneous Provisions Bill at present before Parliament is concerned only with beneficiaries under the former vehicle scheme. It does not cover out-of-phase applicants under the new arrangements which became effective at the beginning of 1976. There are, therefore, no proposals to incur extra costs in respect of the latter group.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the rate per 100,000 population of retired males and of retired females who committed suicide for each year since 1971, separately from known accidents suffered.

Separate figures for retired males and retired females are not available. The rates per 100,000 population in England and Wales for all males aged 65 or over and for all females aged 60 or over are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many exceptional needs payments and how many exceptional circumstances additions were awarded in 1975 and 1976 to assist disabled persons with mobility.

I regret this information is not available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many new recipients in 1976 of (a) a tricycle and (b) the mobility allowance will reach retirement age 60 to 65 years in each of the next five years.

The following are the figures:(

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he has given, or what requests he has made, to regional health authorities concerning the factors they should take into account in constructing their own formulae for resource allocation; and whether it includes mobility indices, socio-economic indices and conditions of housing.

Health authorities in England have copies of the statement I made in my reply to the hon. Members for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. Eyre) and Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Osborn) on 21st December 1976—[Vol. 923, c. 91–3.] reaffirming my determination that the resources of the National Health Service should be more fairly shared between and within regions, and announcing that for 1977–78 the broad principles established by the Resource Allocation Working Party should be followed. The working party's proposals included establishing objective measures of relative health care need by weighting population according to age and sex structure and by standardised mortality ratios applied to the national utilisation rates, disaggregated where practicable by conditions, of a broad band of health services. Thus the measure is indirectly responsive to such causal factors as socio-economic structure and housing conditions. Recalculation of the formula each year, as proposed, takes into account population movements. My statement stressed the importance of unquantifiable factors in determining how far and how fast the present pattern of distribution of resources should be moved towards that indicated by the formula, and made clear that a rapid and mechanical equalisation of resources over a period of a few years was not practicable, if we have to continue the present low rate of increase of the financial resources available nationally. I shall give health authorities more detailed advice when notifying allocations.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider the possibility of making Girocheques for unemployment benefit payable mainly at employment exchanges, to cut down the incidence of illegal cashing of benefit cheques which have been stolen or lost.

No. In certain exceptional cases Girocheques may be issued personally to claimants at unemployment benefit offices, but the administrative cost of doing so on a wider scale would far outweigh the savings that could be achieved.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he proposes to take in view of the risk of some users of National Health Service prescriptions being able to accumulate large quantities of drugs, pills, &c., by constant use of repeat prescriptions issued by a medical practitioner.

Only the doctor concerned can be in a position to decide what drugs and in what quantities are necessary for an individual patient at any given time. The doctor's knowledge of his patients will enable him to assess risks such as the possibility of the wasteful or dangerous accumulation of drugs, and his prescribing decisions and his instructions to patients will take account of this. As I explained in my reply to the hon. Member for Arundel (Mr. Marshall) on 25th January—[Vol. 924, c. 577]—I have asked the medical profession to join my officials in discussions about these matters

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are his present instructions to general medical practitioners with regard to the issue of repeat prescriptions; and for what length of time repeat prescriptions can be given without a patient being seen again by a medical practitioner.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Thomas) on 30th November last.—[Vol. 921, c. 96].

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what instructions have been given to officials on the procedure for handling claims for supplementary benefit from students during the last Christmas vacation.

Standing instructions held by local offices cover the assessment of student claims during vacations, including treatment of the vacation element of any grant he receives. As my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State for Education and Science said in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport, North (Mr. Bennett) on 23rd February 1976—[Vol. 906, c. 41]—student support arrangements were changed from the 1976–77 academic year so that the student's personal maintenance award applied solely to term-time attendance and the winter and spring vacations. The result of these changes is that the grant provides the equivalent of at least the supplementary benefit entitlement of the single non-householder for the short vacations, and consequently it is no longer necessary or appropriate for the majority of students to claim supplementary benefit then.No instructions have been issued specifically for the last Christmas vacation, but operational guidance was given on ways of handling claims, since this was the first occasion on which the new principles applied. This guidance made it clear to staff that they should not refuse claims, but that single students with full awards, living as members of their parents or some one else's household, and without special needs, should be discouraged from putting in a formal claim. The object was to avoid unnecessary work on claims from those students who clearly would not qualify for a payment—with consequent delay in meeting the needs of other claimants.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now put forward proposals to help vaccine-damaged children.

I would ask the hon. Member to await the statement I propose to make next week.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proposals he has for family income supplement after the introduction of child benefit.

We shall shortly be making regulations to disregard the full amount of child benefit as income in the calculation of family income supplement (FIS). As required under amendments to the Family Income Supplements Act contained in the Child Benefit Act 1975, we shall also be laying draft regulations before Parliament specifying the prescribed amounts and maximum payments which will apply to FIS following the introduction of child benefit.The draft regulations will propose that, from 5th April 1977, the prescribed amount for a family with one child should remain, as now, at £39 and the maximum weekly FIS payments at £8·50 for a family with one child plus 50p for each additional child, but that, to take account of the child benefit disregard, the step in the prescribed amount for second and subsequent children should be reduced by £1 from £4·50 to £3·50. Taken together, these proposals would mean that all FIS beneficiaries would gain at least the full net value of child benefits; in addition, lone parent families with one child who have been receiving child interim benefit would have their FIS increased when child benefit replaces child interim benefit and is disregarded as income, as would all families with more than one child. This is because the step in the prescribed amount would be reduced by only £1 whereas the £1·50 benefit for each child which they will continue to receive will be wholly disregarded from 5th April.Order books will now be recalled so that the necessary adjustments can be made in time. These adjustments will, of course, be made subject to Parliament's approving the proposals.We have sought to ensure as far as possible that the replacement of means-tested benefits, at least in part, by universal benefit does not result in a net loss of income. The disregard or child benefit for FIS purposes resolves the core of the problem, in as much as it protects families from losing FIS or any of the other means-tested benefits which they receive under the FIS passport arrangements. To eliminate any possibility of net losses in respect of means-tested benefits not being received under the passport arrangements would be impossible without altogether disproportionate expense. In any event, there are only two very small groups of families who may lose under the proposed arrangements—and then no more than a few pence a week—some receiving free school meals by direct claim and some receiving either rent and rate rebates or a rent allowance and a rate rebate.As regards free school meals, an appropriate part of child benefit will be disregarded as income. It is not, however, proposed to do likewise for housing benefits because the arrangements as they stand will ensure that the vast majority of beneficiaries will gain in net income terms. Existing discretionary powers will be used to protect from net income loss all families receiving free welfare milk and vitamins by direct claim on grounds of low income.A small number of families will cease to qualify for supplementary benefits, but they will normally be able to continue to receive other benefits such as free school meals and free welfare milk and vitamins by direct claim on grounds of low income. Special arrangements will ensure that they are not excluded from the electricity discount scheme provided the other conditions of the discount scheme are met.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the Rhodesia negotiations.

I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's statement of 25th January.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in view of the need to maintain and strengthen ties of friendship and good will between the countries of the Commonwealth, and, in particular, Nigeria and Great Britain, he will take steps to ensure that all applications to the British High Commission in Lagos for visas to enter the United Kingdom are dealt with expeditiously.

Although we are aware that there have been delays, particularly to tourists and students, during the very busy summer season, applications are normally dealt with expeditiously. Additional temporary staff including two entry clearance officers, are attached to the High Commission in Lagos to mitigate the summer season delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many complaints have been made to him about the time which is taken up between the date of making an application to the British High Commission in Lagos for a visa to enter the United Kingdom and the date of issue of the same.

In recent months there have been very few complaints. I should be happy to look into any particular case which the hon. Member may wish to bring to my attention.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average waiting time between the time of the making of an application to the British High Commission in Lagos for a visa to enter the United Kingdom and the issuing of the same.

Most Nigerian travellers to Britain do not require entry certificates and therefore need experience no delay. In cases where an interview is necessary the waiting time is currently nine or 10 days. In the summer period the waiting time can extend to six weeks. When additional documentation or enquiries are necessary there is inevitably some further delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions his Department was the subject of investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner during the last 12 months for which figures are available; on how many occasions a completed investigation showed maladministration; and on how many occasions the Department has still to rectify a complaint which the Parliamentary Commissioner had accepted as having some basis of maladministration.

The Parliamentary Commissioner referred four cases to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for investigation during 1976. He found no maladministration but he criticised the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in two of the cases. In one case an apology was conveyed to the complainant through the Parliamentary Commissioner; in the other, at the Parliamentary Commissioner's request, the wording of a leaflet issued to members of the public has since been clarified to avoid future misunderstanding. In one other case my right hon. Friend issued a certificate that the matter concerned relations between Her Majesty's Government and another Government and could not, therefore, be investigated under Schedule 3 (1) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967. In the other case, full information about the matter complained of was given to the Parliamentary Commissioner and he decided not to pursue an investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the meaning of the "United Kingdom Eyes Only" classification used in the Northern Ireland Office and British Army; and if material coded this way is of a higher security classification that "Top Secret";(2) if Northern Ireland-born officials in the Northern Ireland Office have access to" United Kingdom Eyes Only" papers;(3) if members of the RUC, RUC Reserve and UDR have access to "United Kingdom Eyes Only" papers.

The term "United Kingdom Eyes Only "is not a security classification; it is one of a number of restrictive markings. Such markings can be applied to documents of any classification to reinforce the need to know principle, which underlies our security procedures. For obvious reasons it would be undesirable to disclose the range and purpose of these restrictive markings.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) when the Northern Ireland Office 'B' or Laneside premises were purchased and for what amount; and what has been spent since then in alteration and maintenance;

The Questions appear to be based on a misapprehension. The designation Northern Ireland Office (B) merely distinguishes that part of my Department which is located in Belfast and not in London. Laneside is the name of a house bought by the Department of the Environment for £25,000 in 1971 as a combined house and office and which has been used by my Department since its inception to provide additional space. It would involve disproportionate effort and expense to provide precise details, but inclusive of alterations, utilities and maintenance, the costs have been about £5,000 a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were convicted during 1976 of working and claiming unemployment benefit.

Final figures for 1976 are not yet available, but at least 150 people were convicted in Northern Ireland for claiming unemployment benefit while working.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions were obtained in 1976 by the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Security against those found guilty of abuses in the payment of social security benefits.

Final figures for 1976 are not yet available, but at least 420 people were convicted of making fraudulent statements relating to social security benefits. In addition at least a further 100 were convicted of fraud in respect of paying instruments such as Giro cheques and order books issued in connection with claims to social security benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of the house coal burnt in Welsh homes is produced by Welsh pits.

The National Coal Board continues to supply all house coal produced in its South Wales area to the Welsh market. However, there is still a shortfall which can only be met with English coal. In the 42 weeks ended 15th January 1977 the National Coal Board dispatched 171,800 tons of Welsh house coal and 139,300 tons of English house coal in and into Wales. Thus approximately 55 per cent. of house coal dispatched from all sources to the Welsh market is produced in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a committee to monitor the work of the Equal Opportunities Commission and to make recommendations on the improvement and amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the First Annual Report of the Equal Opportunities Commission which was due to be published on 29th December.

Section 56 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 requires the Equal Opportunities Commission to submit an annual report

"as soon as practicable after the end of each calendar year".

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why John Robinson was released by the Parole Board after the trial judge's verdict on a murder charge in 1962 that he should remain behind bars for the rest of his life, eventually committing another murder after his release; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to Questions by my hon. Friends the Members for Don Valley (Mr. Kelley) and Leeds, West (Mr. Dean) on 27th January.—[Vol. 924, c. 715.]

asked the Secretary of State for the House Department if he will in the Official Report the approved staffing for each

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current policy on the use of impact-based riot-control weapons such as rubber and plastic bullets in Great Britain.

Not to acquire or use them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he intends taking to comply with the requirements of the Employment Protection Act in order to provide trade union representatives with financial and other infor-

The information is as follows:mation, before coming to a decision about the future of Scottish colleges of education.

My right hon. Friend is confident that the governing bodies of the colleges of education, which are the employers of the staff, will comply with their statutory obligations.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated cost per student of training a teacher in the B.Ed. course in secondary education compared with the cost of a three-year course at university followed by a one-year post-graduate course in teacher training at a college of education.

This information is not immediately available and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the unique rôle of the University of Stirling as a teacher-training establishment was considered, before the drafting of the recent SED document on the future of teacher-training in Scotland.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what would be the estimated cost of replacing the present three-year teachers' diploma course at colleges of education by four-year B.Ed. degree course.

Taking into account the extra year of student allowances and the additional college expenditure involved, the cost of training a primary teacher, about £7,500 at current prices, could increase by nearly one-third.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the uncertainty about the future of certain Scottish colleges of education, he will issue instructions for individual student applications for 1977–78 to be handled by some national clearance system, rather than have students apply for particular colleges.

The selection of students for admission to teacher-training courses is a matter for the colleges of education; and it will be for them jointly to consider the most suitable method of dealing with applications for entry in 1977–78 after my right hon. Friend has announced his decisions about college intakes for that year and the future of individual colleges.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the Staff Side about the cuts in defence expenditure.

The view of both the Ministry of Defence Staff and Trades Union Sides on the effects of the cuts in defence expenditure on Ministry of Defence civilian staff have been given frequent and widely ranging representation at various levels in the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many retired officers receiving Service pensions are employed by his Department.

There are 1,898 members of the retired officer class, all of whom receive Service pensions, employed by the Ministry of Defence in posts which would otherwise be filled by serving officers. In addition retired officers serve in many other Civil Service classes which they entered through open competition but their numbers are not recorded.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if there will be any cuts in the Department's research establishments arising out of cuts in defence expenditure.

No cut in the number of defence research establishments is currently planned, further to the measures announced in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1976 (Cmnd. 6432).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many were employed in defence establishments in 1975–76 in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

During the financial year 1975–76 the average number of Ministry of Defence directly employed civilians, including those in the Royal ordnance factory organisation was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been spent on computers and other sophisticated aids to improving the accuracy of weather forecasts during the last 10 years.

The total cost of weather forecasting computers and associated equipments purchased for the Meteorological Office over the 10 years 1967–76 is approximately £5 million.It is difficult to say how much of this has been spent specifically to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts since these equipments also serve a variety of other purposes including the production and direct transmission of print-outs, charts and records of upper winds data to airline computers etc.; provision of more detailed forecasts for two to three days ahead; development of medium term long range and seasonal forecasts; and assessing climatic change.The main computer is also essential for the collection and speedy processing of quantities of data that could not be handled in any other way and which enable the Office to deal with specialist problems and requests for advice from such as the water, gas, electricity and offshore oil industries.A large amount of computer time is utilised for the Office's research programme that embraces a wide range of meteorology-related subjects such as the general circulation of the atmosphere, the effect of wind-shear on aircraft landings, upper air pollution, the use of radar for rainfall prediction and the effects of large scale use of supersonic transport aircraft.As a result of all these applications the work output of the Meteorological Office, measured in terms of inquiries dealt with and forecasts and other special services provided, has greatly increased over the 10-year period while the number of staff employed has declined.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the improvement in accuracy of weather forecasts issued during the last 10 years.

As I said in reply to the hon. Member for Devon, West (Mr. Mills) on 23rd December 1976—[Vol. 923, c. 250]—there has been steady improvement in the accuracy of short-range forecasts in recent years, particularly in respect of the outlook for two or three days ahead where the use of computers has been particularly helpful. Improvements in predicting upper winds over Europe and the Atlantic have been even more striking, and for winds at 20,000 and 40,000 feet forecasting errors have been almost halved.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria are used for assessing the correctness of forecasts; and if he is satisfied with the scientific objectivity of the methods used in judging the correctness of weather forecasts.

There is no simple answer, as the criteria vary according to the nature and content of the forecast. The methods employed are described in some detail in the annual report of the Meteorological Office for 1973, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what characteristics of the plastic bullet led to the decision for the need to replace it with the rubber bullet in Northern Ireland.

The plastic (PVC) baton round replaced the rubber round because it is inherently more accurate, particularly at longer ranges.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions are placed on the exports of rubber and plastic bullets as to destination or intended use; and what quantities of these weapons have been exported to which countries.

Baton rounds are military items, and licences are required for their export. All applications for export licences are considered individually and judged on their merits. As with all defence exports, we have to be satisfied as to the destination and end-use of the items concerned. It is not our policy to reveal details of defence sales to individual countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what types of information on impact-based riot control weapons is covered by information-sharing agreements with the United States of America.

All types of such information are eligible for exchange under the provisions of the ABCA Standardisation Agreement of 1964 covering the general interchange of information between the Armies of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and the Canadian Forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what new riot control weapons are currently under development by or for his Department.

I am sure my hon. Friend will understand that it would not be in the interests of security to disclose details of weapons under development.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the 164,000 civil servants employed by the Ministry of Defence reside in the London area.

I regret that the information requested is not available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the total annual sum so far collected by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in VAT payments from creditors of companies in liquidation, under Section 33(2) of the Finance Act 1972; and if he will now seek by legislation to allow suppliers to obtain relief from tax on bad debts.

The information requested in the first part of the Question is not available. My right hon. Friend has at present no plans for legislating about VAT on bad debts, but he is keeping the matter under review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reduction or cutback of intended development has been made in the facilities for the collection of VAT, especially in numbers of persons employed to collect it; what is the estimated saving of any such reduction; and what is the value of VAT lost as a con- sequence of inability properly to administer and enforce the collection of it.

There are no plans to reduce the effectiveness of the collection of VAT.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which countries of the Western World information on revenue forgone by tax allowances is included in publications similar to the United Kingdom Public Expenditure White Paper; and if he will give reasons why he has refused to do so for the United Kingdom.

I will let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in the Official Report each of the months since March 1974 when Great Britain's industrial production exceeded that of February 1974 at the time of the miners' strike and three-day working week; and if he will make a statement.

It is estimated that industrial production, seasonally adjusted, exceeded that in February 1974 in each month from March 1974 to March 1975, in February, March and May 1976 and, on the basis of provisional estimates, again in October and November 1976.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families will be worse off under the new child benefit scheme as a result of the proposed reduction in the child tax allowance; and what is the estimated total extra cost of running the scheme for these families.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs will be lost in England and Scotland, respectively, as a result of the withdrawal of regional employment premium.

The decision to withdraw regional employment premium was taken as part of a package of industrial and economic measures, the effect of which will be to reduce unemployment, compared to what it would otherwise have been.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs were created as a result of the operation of regional employment premium during each of the last six years in England and Scotland, respectively.

The measurement of the effect of individual instruments within the overall package of regional assistance is difficult, but research carried out by the Department of Applied Economics at Cambridge suggested that the impact of regional employment premium between 1971 and 1973 was probably no more than 20,000 to 30,000 jobs compared with a total regional policy effect of about 300,000 jobs between 1960 and 1971. Since then the value of the premium as a percentage of average earnings has fallen considerably.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the estimated loss of revenue to the Board of Inland Revenue if the mobility allowance were to be made tax free in the fiscal year 1977–78.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 24th January 1977; Vol. 924, c. 412], gave the following reply:I regret that information on which to base a precise estimate is not available, but the loss of revenue would be unlikely to exceed £3 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on all services by the Government in 1976 in England and Wales, respectively.

Information is not available on Government spending on all services in 1976 in England and Wales respectively. However, £18,197 million of expenditure by central Government in 1975–76 can be identified from official records as having been incurred in England, and £1,258 million in Wales. These figures relate to all the main services, except defence and overseas services which are undertaken for the United Kingdom as a whole. They exclude grants to local authorities, which contribute to the finance of local authority services.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a revaluation of Tables 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4 in Command Paper No. 6393 to 1976 Survey prices.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 27th January 1977], gave the following information:The two volumes of the White Paper on the Government's expenditure plans, the first of which will be published today, include comparisons of figures in Cmnd. 6393 at 1976 Survey prices. I ask the hon. Member to wait until both volumes have been published to see how far his requirements are met.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a revaluation of the two final columns of Table 2B of Command Paper No. 5519 to 1976 Survey prices.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 27th January 1977], gave the following information:The revaluation of Table 2B of Cmnd. 5519 to 1976 Survey prices on a basis which is comparable with the White Paper on the Government's expenditure plans published today coud only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the tax threshold could be raised for an expenditure of £900 million at 1976 prices.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 21st January 1977; Vol. 924, c. 352], gave the following information:At 1976–77 income levels it would cost about £900 million to increase the single, earnings wives', married and aged tax allowances by £100.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer in the current financial year if the income tax threshold were raised either by (a) £500 or (b) £250.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 24th January 1977; Vol. 924, c. 414], gave the following information:The cost of increasing the single and earning wives' tax allowances, the married allowance and the age allowances by (

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek to amend the laws relating to insurance schemes which enable tax to be avoided by the arrangements made for the payment of school fees.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 25th January 1977; Vol. 924, c. 589], gave the following information:A person who takes out a life assurance policy is entitled to tax relief for the premiums he pays provided the policy satisfies the requirements of the income tax legislation. These requirements are not related to the purposes for which the proceeds of a policy are to be put.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will ask the Board of Inland Revenue to report to him on the advantages of granting discretion to the Inland Revenue to defer the reckonable date from which interest on overdue tax returns in cases where the present system causes difficulties.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 25th January 1977; Vol. 924, c. 591], gave the following information:I am not aware that the present system of charging interest on tax which is overdue is giving rise to any special difficulty, but if the hon. Member has any particular examples in mind and will write to me I will look into the matter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will grant relief to taxpayers for exceptional professional costs incurred in cases where such costs are as a result of complying with the complexities of the tax acts.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 26th January, 1977; Vol. 924, c. 650], gave the following information:No. Successive Governments, following the line taken by the Royal Commission on the Taxation of Profits and Income, have taken the view that no such allowance would be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger and tonne kilometres moved by road for each therm in 1964 and 1974; and how many moved by rail for each therm in 1964 and 1974.

Figures are not readily available in this form. Energy consumption per unit of output for each mode varies widely according to type of journey, load factor and whether or not transhipment is required, and energy is only one of the many resources used in transport. We must seek the optimum use of all these resources.

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

I know of no firm evidence that anyone has been killed in a road accident because he was wearing a seat belt, and would have survived without it. The conclusion drawn by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory from a detailed study of 1,100 accidents was that the chances of injury being increased by wearing a seat belt is less than one in 1,000. At present seat belts save nearly 400 lives a year; and if they were all worn, 1,000 more lives would be saved.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff engaged on driver and vehicle licensing have been released from local authorities between 1st January 1975 and 1st January 1976 in view of the continued buildup of centralised driver and vehicles licensing in Swansea.

The number of staff employed in local authority motor taxation offices dropped between 1st January 1975 and 1st January 1976 from 6,183 to 5,837—a reduction of 346. Between 1st January 1976 and 1st January 1977 there was a further reduction of 2,446.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in the Official Report the following information

asked the Secretary of State for Transport in how many of the seven complaints made against his Department, which were the subject of investigation by the Parliamentary Com-

The figures are given below, with the qualifications noted. The level of overloading should not be assumed as generally applicable, since the more likely vehicles are selected for checking. The differences between number overloaded and number summonsed represents warnings for minor overloads. No separate figures are available of the prosecution of private hauliers, because the operators' licensing system does not distinguish between hauliers and own account operators, or between the private and public sectors of haulage.missioner between 10th September 1976 and 31st December 1976 a completed investigation has shown maladministration; and in how many of these cases the Department has still to rectify a complaint which the Parliamentary Commissioner had accepted as having some basis of maladministration.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration found elements of maladministration in five of the complaints against my Department on which he reported between 10th September and 31st December 1976. Rectification has been made in three of them. In one of the remaining cases an ex gratia payment is being arranged; in the other payment of certain court costs has been offered.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the tender was accepted for the construction of the dual-carriageway section of the A45 trunk road between Rougham and Woolpits in Suffolk.

9th December 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations have been received from the Sector Working Party on the Mechanical Handling Industry, with regard to the Government's proposed legislation on the powers of local authorities to set up direct labour organisations; and what action he proposes to take.

I understand that the Mechanical Handling Sector Working Party is making representations about the possible effect of the proposed legislation on local authority direct labour organisations. A detailed reply will be sent to the working party.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated maximum life of radioactivity of any of the various radioactive wastes at present disposed of within the United Kingdom; where such wastes are located; what is the quantity involved; and if he will make a statement.

The longest lived radioactive waste comes from naturally occurring substances which have a very long half life, but a very low activity. The longest lived is thorium 232 which has a half life of 14,000,000,000 years. It is present in most building materials and is used in domestic products such as electric light filaments, but because activity is so low no control is normally necessary over disposal. Thorium is therefore likely to be present in refuse disposal sites throughout the country. Where the thorium is present in significant amounts in exceptionally high concentration it is disposed of at the special disposal site at Drigg.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent on the new Government Press Offices in Little St. James's Street, London, S.W.1.

The contract has not been completed but the expected cost is £830,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much usable square footage has been taken for the new Government Press offices in Little St. James's Street, London, S.W.I; what is the cost per square foot; and how long a lease has been obtained.

Terms have been agreed for a seven-year lease of usable space amounting to 23,450 sq. ft. at the new Government Press Centre in Little St. James's Street. It is not the practice to disclose the financial details of commercial transactions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether the 14 staff in the Building Research Establishment involved in housing policy are in addition to the 31 staff in its urban planning division; and, if so, what is the budget in the current year of their activities;(2) whether he is satisfied that sufficient priority is being given, both in staff and resources, to the building integrity division of the Building Research Establishment; and whether he will call periodically for personal reports on the specific results of its work, in view of the importance and public interest involved;(3) whether he is satisfied with the internal distribution of staff and resources within the Building Research Establishment by which the urban planning division has a staff of 31 and a budget for the current year of £350,000, while the Building Integrity Division has an initially intended, but not yet reached, complement of six and a budget of £86,000; and what action he proposes to take to improve this balance.

The complements of 14 and 31 staff for housing policy and urban planning respectively are distinct, but the combined complement of these divisions is now being slightly reduced. The 1976–77 budget for the former is £220,000.The balance of staffing at the Building Research Establishment is being reviewed in the context of current manpower cuts, which will by March 1978 reduce BRE's complement by about 10 per cent. from its March 1976 level. Although nearly all areas will be cut, and many cut substantially, growth will continue in a few sectors of highest priority, of which the Building Integrity Division is one. High priority will also continue to be given to the work of the numerous BRE specialists in structural problems, which will contribute heavily to the effectiveness of this division.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current staffing level of the building integrity division of the Building Research Establishment; why it has not yet reached its initial staffing level of six, as outlined in the reply by the Minister for Housing and Construction to the hon. Member for Melton on 7th July 1976; and when the target figure of 15 staff will be reached.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why the Building Integrity Division of the Building Research Establishment aiming to reduce defects, danger risks and unnecessary repairs in building consists only of a director and a staff of three when it was initially planned to have a staff of six rising to 15.

Policy has been to build up this division progressively to the initially planned level of seven, including the Division Head. The latter was appointed last May, and processes for selecting six more staff started soon after- wards Three of these are now in post, a fourth is joining the division next month, and candidates for the other two posts initially planned are under urgent consideration.Substantial cuts in the total staff of the Building Research Establishment, reflecting the Government's decision to cut Civil Service staff costs in 1978–79 by £95 million, will now affect the pace at which the further target strength of 15 for this division can be achieved. These cuts create obvious problems in manning new units such as this where particular experience and skills are needed. But it is, nevertheless, planned to raise strength to 10 during 1977–78.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current staffing establishment of the Building Research Establishment, showing separately the Building Research Station, the Fire Research Station and the Princes Risborough Laboratory; and what were the equivalent figures on 1st July 1976.

The staff complement for the Building Research Establishment (BRE) at 1st July 1976 was 977, of which 681 were at the Building Research Station (BRS), 160 at the Fire Research Station (FRS), and 136 at the Princes Risborough Laboratory (PRL). Complements are now being cut to achieve by March 1978 economies in manpower needed throughout the Civil Service. By March 1978 there will be a cut of about 10 per cent. from the above figures, and the March 1977 complement will be fixed at an intermediate level. With minimal exceptions, external recruitment at BRE has meanwhile been halted, and strength has run down to 914, made up of 628, 154 and 132 at BRS, FRS and PRL respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what statutory duty is imposed on local authorities to provide allotments.

District councils are required under Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 to provide a sufficient number of plots to satisfy the demand from local residents. In a parish, this obligation falls upon the parish council or parish meeting, to the exclusion of the district council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is his intention that every licence application under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976 be submitted to one of the scientific authorities for comment.

All licence applications relating to the import and export of endangered and threatened plants are referred to the Scientific Authority for Plants. In the case of animals, the Scientific Authority for Animals considers every licence application relating to the import of highly endangered species. Other licence applications are dealt with by my Department in accordance with guidelines agreed by the scientific authority and details are regularly submitted to the authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what evaluation has been made of the differences in the effective application between the inertia reel seat belt and the fixed seat belt.

I have been asked to reply.Both types of seat belt play a major part in saving lives and serious injuries, and investigations of accidents have shown no significant difference in their performance. Both in this country and abroad it is found that inertia reel belts are more readily worn than static belts, and they are now fitted to most new cars. We are continuing to address research to improving the comfort and convenience of seat belts, and the safeguards against the risk of failure.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development what proportion of existing commitments of overseas aid were to the poorest of the poor in the sense of Command Paper No. 6207.

I should explain to my hon. Friend that it is not possible to analyse commitments in this way. The most recent disbursement figures show that, in 1975, 49·8 per cent. of our bilateral aid went to countries with an income per capita of less than $200.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development (1) what proportion of the proposed reduction in existing commitments will fall directly or indirectly on countries with GNP per head of less than (a) $150, (b) $250 and (c) $500, respectively.;(2) what proportion of the proposed cuts will fall on multinational aid and upon which particular agencies and projects;(3) which existing aid programmes he estimates will fall in real value as a result of the cuts; and in which countries;(4) by what proportion and numbers the number of civil servants at home and abroad employed by his Department, the number of experts or advisers in the field, the number of citizens of donee countries will be reduced as a result of the proposed cuts; and whether it will be in proportion to the percentage reduction in aid.

As I said at Question Time on 17th January, the effect on specific allocations will have to be determined after the detailed review of the entire programme and of our priorities within it, which is now in hand.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development what proportion of the British aid budget is spent directly in the United Kingdom; and by what amount percentage and as a prime figure the amount is expected to rise or fall as a result of the cuts.

60 per cent. of our bilateral aid budget, excluding expenditure under technical co-operation, was spent in the United Kingdom in 1975. It is not possible to say what effect the cuts will have on this percentage in 1977 or 1978.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development on present estimates what percentage of GNP the United Kingdom will be spending on aid in 1979.

I should explain to my hon. Friend that it has never been our practice to give such estimates, which would have limited value in view of variation in both GNP and total official aid flows.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development what discussions he has had with donee nation Governments about the cuts in the British aid programme; if he will list them; and which projects he has indicated to them will have to be curtailed, cancelled or additional sources of finance obtained.

None. As I explained to the House and in my joint answer to some of my hon. Friend's earlier Questions today, a detailed review of the whole programme is in hand, and it would not be appropriate to discuss the cuts with recipient Governments at this stage.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development what steps he is taking to ensure that the cuts in overseas aid do not fall on projects that are designed to raise the level of living of the poorest, even in relatively prosperous developing countries.

It will be one of my main objectives in the review of the aid programme which is now being made to maintain the high priority which we already give to such projects.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken to explore the extent to which the Economic Development Fund could fund projects and programmes affected by the proposed cuts in overseas aid.

The EEC Commission has already agreed European Development Fund (EDF) indicative aid programmes with most of the states covered by the Lomé Convention. If projects contained in these programmes are withdrawn, we shall be ready to suggest to the Commission, and to the States concerned, that the money saved might be used towards any projects in those countries which may be affected by the cuts in British overseas aid.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development what is Her Majesty's Government's current policy on the second development decade target of 0·7 per cent.

Her Majesty's Government have accepted in principle the UN aid target of 0·7 per cent. of GNP for official development assistance, but progress towards it must continue to be determined by the pace of our own economic recovery and by the other calls on our resources.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development how much his Department spends on evaluating its own programmes and projects; and whether, in view of the proposed cuts in the money available to his Department, he will increase and improve the methods of programme and project evaluation to ensure the full utilisation of scarce aid funds.

I expect to spend £55,000 in 1977–78 on specific post-evaluations of completed projects. Other forms of evaluation are an integral part of my Department's work and cannot be costed separately. It is my constant aim to improve our methods in this field, but such improvements do not necessarily involve additional expenditure.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development whether, as a result of the cuts in the aid programme, there will be any limitation in the funds made available for, or rate of approval of, the £ for £ scheme.

In view of the developmental significance of the pound for pound scheme I hope to be able to ensure that the cuts in the anticipated aid programme do not adversely affect it.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development how much time will be spent on work involved with his Department following the appointment of a Joint Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Overseas Development instead of a separate Parliamentary Secretary for his Department.

For the remainder of our Presidency of the EEC Council of Ministers my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary will spend two-thirds of his time on overseas development matters, and one-third assisting the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on EEC matters. The situation will be reviewed in July.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development what administrative changes have taken place in his Department as a result of the appointment of a Joint Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Overseas Development instead of a separate Parliamentary Secretary for his Department.

No administrative changes have arisen specifically as a result of the appointment to which my hon. Friend refers. There have been some changes in the allocation of ministerial duties which will be reflected in the April edition of the "List of Ministerial Responsibilities".

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much was paid in regional employment premium in England and Scotland, respectively, during each of the last five years.

The estimated payment made in respect of regional employment premium for the development areas in England and Scotland were:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he can now specify a date for the implementation and introduction of his proposed regulations on safety committees and safety representatives; and what steps he is taking in order to ensure that this is done as soon as possible, as is his stated intention.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why it is necessary for letters to Cornish clients of the Training Services Agency to bear the inscription Gwasanaethau Hyfforddi; and if he will arrange for such letterheads to carry translations in Cornish and English.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the Training Services Agency has one office covering Wales and the West of England which is situated in Cardiff. Since this office moved into its permanent premises some notepaper used by the office has, in the light of the Welsh Language Act 1967, borne both the English and Welsh versions of the title Training Services Agency. I am not satisfied that there is a case for a translation of this title into Cornish. Notepaper used by the Training Services Agency District Office in Plymouth shows only the English title.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were employed in the Welsh woollen industry in each year, respectively, between 1950 and 1976.

In 1975, the latest date for which information is available, there were about 1,100 employees in employment in Wales in the Woollen and Worsted Industry (Minimum List Heading 414 of the Standard Industrial Classification 1968). The estimates for years before 1971 were compiled on a different basis which did not indicate precisely very small changes in individual industries from one year to the next. However, the numbers employed have in general increased steadily and have roughly doubled since 1950.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make temporary employment subsidy available on application to the firm of Heywood Williams which has two divisions in Huddersfield to help it overcome the problem which is likely to occur on 450 people being made redundant.

The temporary employment subsidy has been brought to the notice of this company and if an application is made it will be considered under the rules of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what plans he has for the waste paper excess stock scheme; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to provide assistance for any waste paper excess stocks scheme. Consideration of the availability of waste paper for the paper and board industry is one of the main items in the terms of reference of the Waste Management Advisory Council's Waste Paper Working Party, on which my Department is represented. I would, however, add that the council is actively considering how voluntary organisations can provide more waste paper for the industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) if he will list in the Official Report the names and positions of the members of the Organising Committee of the British Shipbuilding Corporation who had not tendered their resignations by Tuesday 25th January 1977;(2) if he will make a statement on the composition of the Organising Committee of British Shipbuilders; and how many vacancies exist on the committee.

The members and part-time members of the Organising Committee for British Shipbuilders are Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin, Chairman; Mr. Kenneth Griffin, Deputy Chairman, Mr. Ross Belch, Mr. John Chalmers, Mr. Les Gregory, part-time members. In addition, Mr. Peter Mills, Mr. Anthony Peers and Mr. Patrick Griffith, who have announced that they have decided not to continue with the Organising Committee on a long-term basis, have agreed to remain for varying periods into the early and late spring. There is no required number of members of the Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what has been the total amount of money advanced to Upper Clyde since Government aid commenced, to the latest possible date; what has been the increase in productivity during the same period of time; how many employees there were at the time assistance commenced; and what is the total work force employed to the latest date.

£5 million for share capital in Govan Shipbuilders Ltd. was subscribed by the then Government when the company was formed in 1972. Since then loans and grants totalling £40,822,000 have been provided, £5 million of which has been converted into share capital. The total labour content of Govan's standard bulk carrier at the time the company was formed was 850,000 man-hours. The most recently delivered bulk carrier of similar design used 600,000 man-hours. On formation the company employed 4,602. At that time, owing to shortage of orders, its capacity was not fully utilised. At the end of 1976 it employed 5,771.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will refer the profit margins of the brewery industry to the Price Commission.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wallsend (Mr. Garrett) on 13th December.—[Vol. 922, c. 576]