asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his proposals for the reform of the law governing deportation and extradition may be expected.

All aspects of the Immigration Act 1971 are kept under review, but I have no proposals to bring forward at present for a general revision of its provisions about deportation.The need to bring up to date the Extradition Act 1870 is under consideration, but I cannot say when amending legislation may be introduced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take action if need be by amending legislation to enable the police forces to have the same full trade union rights as every other type of civilian employee.

Provision for police repesentative institutions is made in Part III of the Police Act 1964 and in subordinate regulations made by the Secretary of State. I am considering a proposal by the Police Federation for England and Wales that those provisions should be reviewed in the light of contemporary principles and practice in the field of industrial relations. It would certainly be my wish that they and other police representative associations should have the rights they need to enable them to represent their members effectively, subject to the limitations imposed by the unique position of the police as a service under discipline responsible for the maintenance of law and order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give an estimate of the number of immigrants to this country who have (a) entered illegally or (b) entered on temporary visas which have expired.

Because of the nature of the offence, it is inherently impossible to make a reliable estimate of the number of people in this country who have entered illegally. Information about people lawfully admitted subject to a time limit who overstay is held on a case by case basis; it cannot practicably be collected in a suitable form for estimating purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the delays experienced by hon. Members in obtaining replies to letters sent to his Department.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Wycombe (Sir J. Hall) on Thursday 23rd December 1976.—[Vol. 923, c. 265.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in the Official Report a table of the dates, periods, location and type of prison in which Eric Tomlinson and Dennis Warren, the Shrewsbury pickets served, together with a summary of actual days served in open and closed prisons; and how these compare with similar details for Andrew Cunningham, convicted in the Poulson affair.

Eric Tomlinson was sentenced on 19th December 1973, and began his sentence at Shrewsbury Prison, where he had previously been remanded in

Prison		Type	From	To		Period days
Shrewsbury	…	Local prison	19th December 1973	4th January 1974	…	17
Stafford	…	Closed training prison	5th January 1974	18th February 1974	…	45
Brixton	…	Local prison	19th February 1974	21st February 1974	…	3
Wormwood Scrubs	…	Local prison	22nd February 1974	6th March 1974	…	13
Sudbury	…	Open training prison	7th March 1974	31st May 1974	…	86
Brixton	…	Local prison	1st June 1974	3rd June 1974	…	3

Mr. Tomlinson was released on bail between 3rd June and 29th October 1974.
Wormwood Scrubs	…	Local prison	…	29th October 1974	…	30th October 1974	…	2
Sudbury	…	Open training prison	…	31st October 1974	…	4th February 1975	…	97
Leicester	…	Local prison	…	5th February 1975	…	25th July 1975	…	171

He therefore served 183 days in open prisons and 254 days in closed prisons.
Dennis Warren was also sentenced on 19th December 1973, and also began his sentence at Shrewsbury Prison, where he had previously been remanded in custody. He served his sentence in the following prisons:
Shrewsbury	…	Local prison	19th December 1973	4th January 1974	…	17
Bedford	…	Local prison	5th January 1974	17th January 1974	…	13
Liverpool	…	Local prison	18th January 1974	22nd January 1974	…	5
Stafford	…	Closed training prison	23rd January 1974	18th February 1974	…	27
Brixton	…	Local prison	19th February 1974	21st February 1974	…	3
Wormwood Scrubs	…	Local prison	22nd February 1974	6th March 1974	…	13
Stafford	…	Closed training prison	7th March 1974	17th May 1974	…	72
Sudbury	…	Open training prison	18th May 1974	31st May 1974	…	14
Brixton	…	Local prison	1st June 1974	3rd June 1974	…	3

Mr. Warren was released on bail between 3rd June and 29th October 1974.
Wormwood Scrubs	…	Local prison	29th October 1974	…	30th October 1974	…	2
Sudbury	…	Open training prison	31st October 1974	…	4th February 1975	…	97
Lincoln	…	Local prison	5th February 1975	…	4th June 1975	…	120
Nottingham	…	Closed training prison	5th June 1975	…	14th August 1975	…	71
Lincoln	…	Local prison	15th August 1975	…	24th February 1976	…	194
Leicester	…	Local prison	25th February 1976	…	5th August 1976	…	163

He therefore served 111 days in open prisons and 703 days in closed prisons.
Andrew Cunningham was sentenced on 26th April 1974, and began his sentence at Leeds Prison, where he had previously been remanded in custody. He served his sentence in the following prisons:
Leeds	…	Local prison	…	26th April 1974	1st May 1974	6
Liverpool	…	Local prison	…	2nd May 1974	17th June 1974	47
Wormwood Scrubs	…	Local prison	…	18th June 1974	25th June 1974	8
Ford	…	Open training prison	…	26th June 1974	29th July 1975	399
Durham	…	Local prison	…	30th July 1975	7th August 1975	9
Ford	…	Open training prison	…	8th August 1975	10th September 1975	34
Durham	…	Local prison	…	11th September 1975	12th September 1975	2
Ford	…	Open training prison	…	13th September 1975	15th January 1976	125
Durham	…	Local prison	…	16th January 1976	6th April 1976	82
Wormwood Scrubs	…	Local prison	…	7th April 1976	8th April 1976	2
Ford	…	Open training prison	…	9th April 1976	30th June 1976	83
He therefore served 641 days in open prisons and 156 days in closed prisons.
These figures do not take account of periods spent in custody before sentence, which counted towards sentence. These periods were, in the cases of Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Warren, eight days, and, in the case of Mr. Cunningham two days.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the growing incidence of underage drinking, and the difficulty experienced by licensees in determining the ages of young people, he will take steps to amend the law to allow for the onus for

It is already an offence under Section 169 of the Licensing Act 1964 for a person under the age of 18 to buy or attempt to buy intoxicating liquor in licensed premises, or consume it in a bar. The Criminal Law Bill now before Parliament provides for the maximum penalty for this offence to be increased from £20 to £200.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has plans to increase the penalties for the killing of animals, including foxes, by the unlawful use of strychnine, in the light of the information being sent to him by the hon. Member for Plymouth, Drake.

Provision is made in the Criminal Law Bill at present before Parliament for an increase in the maximum financial penalty for this offence from £50 to £500.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the possible dangers to domestic and wild life from the unlawful use of strychnine for killing foxes in order to obtain their pelts.

It is an offence under the Animals (Cruel Poisons) Regulations 1963 to put or place strychnine in or upon any land or building to destroy mammals of any description except moles. I understand that the RSPCA and the police are currently investigating incidents in which, it appears, foxes in certain parts of the country may have died from strychnine poisoning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to amend the Guardianship of Infants Act to enable grandparents to apply for access to grandchildren as well as for custody.

We have no such proposals under consideration. The former Guardianship of Infants Acts, and their successors the Guardianship of Minors Acts 1971 and 1973, restrict the right to apply for custody of or right of access to a child to the mother and father—though the court, when it has an application, may make whatever order on these matters as it thinks fit having regard to the welfare of the minor. A grandparent may, however, apply under Section 5 of the 1971 Act to be the guardian of a child who has no parent or guardian. Generally speaking, grandparents have no legal duties towards grandchildren, and I am doubtful whether it would be in the interests of children generally to give grandparents a right to apply for a legally enforceable right of access.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what his policy is with regard to the Bullock Report.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend on 26th January 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will adopt a quota licensing system in place of the "Greyhound" system for the import of newsprint into the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Benefit of the tariff quota is already confined, by the end-use control operated by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, to newsprint imported for newspapers and periodicals not primarily devoted to advertising. I see no grounds for attempting to confine benefit of the quota to particular importers or publishers. Moreover, it would be impossible to be certain that the publishers who failed to get allocations sufficient to meet their needs were those who were failing to buy United Kingdom produced newsprint.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the value and volume of United Kingdom imports and exports of potatoes during 1976, 1975 and 1974, respectively.

Following is the information:

		Imports		Exports
		Thousand metric tons	£ million cif	Thousand metric tons	£ million fob
1976	…	632	123	68	14
1975	…	374	39	147	13
1974	…	234	22	152	7

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many representations he has received from trades associations, chambers of commerce, other organisations and individuals concerning the cut-back of BOTB-sponsored joint ventures.

Department of Trade Ministers have received 32 letters, of which 10 were from trade associations and the remainder from other organisations and individuals. Other representations, both written and oral, have been received by the British Overseas Trade Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether any movement of aircraft for which he is responsible could have accounted for the loud explosions and vibration which has been noticed in the area surrounding Beaconsfield between 9 o'clock and 9.30 o'clock on most evenings during recent weeks.

As the timings referred to are coincidental with the arrival times of Concorde flights from Washington, an investigation has been carried out to see whether these could be responsible. The results of this investigation will shortly be available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish his latest estimates of the share of United Kingdom exports in world trade in manufactures for each quarter since 1974.

The information is as follows:

1974	Q1	…	…	8·5
	Q2	…	…	8·9
	Q3	…	…	8·9
	Q4	…	…	8·8
1975	Q1	…	…	9·5
	Q2	…	…	9·2
	Q3	…	…	9·0
	Q4	…	…	9·5
1976	Q1	…	…	9·3
	Q2	…	…	8·9

This information is taken from Table C1 of the latest edition (No. 15) of the Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether, in view of the fact that negotiations on restraint of trade with Japan are based upon a trading deficit of £436 million in 1976, he has any proposals for similar negotiations with Germany where the United Kingdom trading deficit is £924 million; and if he will make a statement.

, pursuant to the reply [Official Report, 27th January 1977, Vol. 924, c. 736–7], gave the following information:No. The cases are different.

asked the Attorney-General why the average waiting time for defendants at the Central Criminal Court is over 18 weeks in custody and over 24 weeks on bail.

The main reason for the present backlog is the increase in the work of the Crown Court, which rose by nearly one-third between 1972 and 1975. There was an increase of about 6 per cent. in the number of cases committed for trial in London during 1976. The Central Criminal Court deals with an unusually high proportion of heavy and complex cases, and these take, on average, twice as long to try as do cases heard elsewhere.

asked the Attorney-General if, in the light of the injunction granted by the Court of Appeal relating to the telephone boycott of South Africa, he will now reconsider his decision not to refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions the case of the Post Office workers and Grunwick Processing Laboratories Limited.

No.

asked the Attorney-General when he intends to increase the amount which an employer is allowed to deduct from an employee's earnings as a reimbursement for the work involved in making deductions under an attachment of earnings order.

The permitted deduction was increased from 5p to 13p for each occasion with effect from 1st January 1976. My noble Friend has no proposal in mind for a further increase at present.

asked the Attorney-General what is the average length of time an accused person is remanded in custody before the case comes before the Crown Court; and what action he is taking to relieve the pressure on the courts.

The average length of time between committal and trial of accused persons remanded in custody is eight weeks in England and Wales, including London.My noble Friend is concerned about any delay in bringing cases to trial in the Crown Court, and is taking such action as is practicable to minimise this, but a period of eight weeks is that which was considered reasonable by the Streatfeild Committee on the business of the criminal courts.

asked the Attorney-General in respect of how many requests for his consent to initiate (a) noncriminal and (b) criminal litigation that consent was refused during the three months October to December 1976; and what were his reasons for refusing in each case.

(a) None; (b) two. In the first, other charges not requiring my consent were substituted and the proceedings are still continuing. In the second, I considered that the evidence was insufficient to support the charge.

asked the Attorney-General if he will list all the offences which may be prosecuted only with his consent and with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions, respectively.

I shall write to my hon. Friend with a complete list of offences in the very near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the guidelines for the National Enterprise Board.

I refer my hon. Friend to the speech by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State in the debate in this House on 21st January 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will set out the criteria which his Department follows in answering parliamentary Questions about the National Enterprise Board.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement by the then Leader of the House on 18th December 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the present position on the conclusion of planning agreements.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what progress has been made with planning agreements; and what are the main obstacles to their introduction.

Announcements have already been made about those companies which have agreed to enter discussions on planning agreements and about the first three nationalised industries with which agreements will be concluded. The purpose and nature of planning agreements are still widely misunderstood and misrepresented, and this has proved an obstacle to faster progress.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give an assurance that any advantage given to Polish buyers under the Anglo-Polish trade deal announced on 16th December 1976 will be equally available to British companies ordering ships in United Kingdom yards.

We intend to conclude the deal on a strictly commercial basis. If a United Kingdom owner were to come to us with proposals for placing an order of this size and importance my Department and the Organising Committee for British Shipbuilders would be very ready to discuss with him the most appropriate way of financing it.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will have regard to the criteria published in 1976 for financial assistance for industry in deciding whether to provide further public funds for the Meriden Co-operative.

Discussions on further assistance to the co-operative are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what information he has on the profitability of British industry over the past 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the relevant figures for 1977.

The latest available estimate of the rate of return at replacement cost earned by industrial and commercial companies, of about 4 per cent., relates to 1975 and was given to the hon. Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers) on 13th December. Such data as are now available for the first three-quarters of 1976 suggest a slightly lower rate of return in that period. It is not the practice to publish forecasts, but I expect a substantial increase as exports and output grow.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what representations he has received from the British paper and board industry about the possible effect on the increase in the duty-free quotas of paper and board from Finland on United Kingdom manufactured substitutes and, in particular, on that sector of the United Kingdom industry manufacturing substitutes almost entirely from waste paper and home-grown timber.

The British Paper and Board Industry Federation has expressed its concern about the quota increases, and I have seen the letter which it has circulated to some hon. Members.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, in view of the large numbers of bankruptcies in 1976, especially among small businesses, what practical steps he is taking to assist and encourage this vital sector of industry.

Small businesses are eligible for a wide range of Government assistance of a general and specific nature. The Government have taken a number of steps to assist them, including operating the criteria for sectoral schemes in a flexible manner and providing specific assistance within schemes where possible; for example, the clothing scheme, where the minimum value of a project eligible for help has been reduced from £30,000 to £10,000. We shall continue to keep the position under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what incentives he proposes to introduce to encourage smaller firms to export more.

None. Many smaller firms are already exporting successfully, and the British Overseas Trade Board's export services and promotional aids are being heavily used by exporters of every size.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what has been the total value of investment in the Special Steels Division of the British Steel Corporation in the period 1970 to 1976, inclusive; and what current projects are in hand.

This is a matter for the Corporation. It tells me, however, that between April 1970 and March 1976 a total of £160 million was invested by Special Steels Division. Major projects now under way within the new Sheffield Division are as follows: Aldwarke fourth are furnace and finishing banks; Shepcote Lane and Tinsley Park stainless products development; and cleaning projects at several works.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he next expects to attend a meeting of the NEDC.

I shall be attending the next meeting on 2nd February.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what financial assistance is currently being given to the Concorde project; and if he will make a statement about sales or leasing prospects.

On the British side, the entire costs of production and of post entry into service development of Concorde are being financed by Her Majesty's Government. Sales and leasing prospects remain as described in the reply given on 10th January by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many jobs have been lost in the South Yorkshire area due to the closing down of small factories, and the reduction in numbers of employees at other firms due to declared redundancies; and if he will make a statement on his plans to counteract this loss of jobs in South Yorkshire.

I regret that information about job losses is not available in the form requested. In addition to the incentives available in South Yorkshire as an intermediate area the Government have taken a number of other measures to encourage industrial investment which should benefit the county. These include the accelerated projects scheme, the selective investment scheme and sectoral schemes for particular industries. We have also increased the incentives offered to service industries to locate in the assisted areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will make a statement on the composition of the Organising Committee for British Shipbuilders.

I will let the House know as soon as there is anything to say about replacements for those members who have decided not to continue with the Organising Committee on a long-term basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what plans he has to replace Mr. Patrick Griffiths, Mr. Peter Mills and Mr. Tony Peers on the Organising Committee of British Shipbuilders.

My right hon. Friend will inform the House as soon as there is anything to say about replacements.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what plans he has to encourage industrial investment and job creation in the Hull travel-to-work area.

Projects in the area are eligible for the range of benefits available in an intermediate area and for assistance under the various schemes to assist particular industries and the new selective investment scheme. The extensions of the temporary employment subsidy and the job creation schemes will also help to maintain employment in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what future plans he has to improve employment prospects on Merseyside and in Kirkby and Ormskirk.

As I explained in my answer on 19th January—[Vol. 924, c. 235]—we shall continue to do everything we can to promote industrial development on Merseyside. Qualifying firms there also stand to benefit from the allocation of additional resources to encourage investment in industry which was announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in December.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when the Post Office Users' National Council will be approached for a meeting to discuss future increases in post and parcel charges.

If and when the Post Office has any proposals it will consult the Post Office Users' National Council in accordance with its statutory obligations.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the meeting he held with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions on 25th January 1977; and if he intends to use the Industry Act 1972, as amended by the Industry Act 1975, to create a State holding company for the Government's existing interests in shipbuilding companies.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and hon. Friend the Minister of State and I met representatives of the CSEU on 25th January at their request. We had a useful and constructive discussion about prospects for the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industry. During the discussion the CSEU representatives made a number of points about possible action which might be taken to deal with the problems of the industry, to which I am giving urgent consideration. No decision has yet been taken on the proposal that there should be a State holding company for the Government's existing shipbuilding interests.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will name the principal shareholders in Info-Line Ltd.

The Department of Industry, the British Library, the Chemical Society and the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry why he is giving support to Info-Line Ltd.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to his Question on 27th January.—[Vol. 924, c. 744].

asked the Secretary of State for Industry under what authority he intends to make £200,000 available to Info-Line Ltd.

Section 5 of the the Science and Technology Act 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry in what way the proposed loans to Info-Line Ltd. will be secured.

It would be incompatible with the objects of the Department's sponsorship of Info-Line Ltd. to require that loans to it in its development period should be secured.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he expects to make available any further funds to Info-Line Ltd. beyond the £200,000 in loans so far announced.

I have at present no plans to make available loans exceeding £200,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what consideration has been given to the West Midlands as a site for the Aerospace Commission; and if he will make a statement.

It is primarily for the Organising Committee for British Aerospace to recommend where the headquarters of the new corporation should be located, having regard to all relevant factors. The claims of the West Midlands will be fully taken into account, along with those of other areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will make a statement on his review of regional policy.

The effectiveness of our regional policies is constantly monitored.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many legal officers are employed in his Department;(2) what are the functions and duties of legal officers employed by his Department;(3) what is the salary scale of legal officers employed in his Department.

My Legal Adviser and Solicitor is supported by 42 other lawyers including three who are employed part time. They act for the Forestry Commissioners and for the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce, as well as for my Department, on legal questions. Their main functions are advisory in the field of both English and European Community Law and include the preparation of legislation, civil litigation, prosecutions and conveyancing. The salaries are:

• Legal Adviser and Solicitor, £14,000 per annum.
• Principal assistant solicitors, £12,000 per annum.
• Assistant solicitors, £9,033 per annum to £11,000 per annum.
• Senior legal assistants, £6,625 per annum to £8,750 per annum.
• Legal assistants, £3,424 per annum^* to £6,125 per annum.

In addition, inner London weighting of £465 per annum is payable to all except the top post and a pay supplement of £313·20 per annum is payable on salaries below £8,500 per annum, including London weighting, provided it does not bring the total above that figure.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what weight of potatoes was harvested in the United Kingdom in 1976, 1975 and 1974, respectively.

Figures showing the total quantity of potatoes produced in the United Kingdom in the past two crop years, with an estimate for the current crop, are given below:

Crop Year	…	…	'000 tonnes
1974–75	…	…	6,791
1975–76	…	…	4,551
1976–77 (provisional)	…	…	4,800

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will obtain and publish in the Official Report a detailed list, on a national or area basis, of the number and stated schools which have been condemned or agreed for replacement; the date when such were agreed upon and not commenced; how many schools have been classified as unsafe, unsatisfactory, or not up to minimum standards; and how many of these are in the London borough of Newham.

Local education authorities may submit proposals to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the replacement of schools which they consider to be unsatisfactory. The Department does not collate or publish such information, either on a national or local authority basis, or decide which schools should be replaced. It is for the authorities to decide, within the resources available and subject to compliance with Government policies, which projects to undertake. My right hon. Friend recognises with regret that, due to recent cuts in public spending, many desirable school improvement projects that authorities had planned to start in 1976–77 and 1977–78 will not now proceed but, in distributing the reduced resources for school building, priority has had to be given to areas where population growth leads to basic need for new school places.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she will arrange, an exhibition depicting the British Library.

I understand that arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 7th February to Saturday 19th February 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in the light of the recently announced cuts in public expenditure, she will indicate the plans for the building of the Holy Rosary School, Aintree, Liverpool.

The Sefton Education Authority is currently reviewing its programme of school building projects for 1977–78, including the Holy Rosary School project, in the light of the recent reduction of the authority's loan sanction authorisation for that year from £545,000 to £532,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why students in West Sussex taking chiropody courses are not eligible for mandatory grants; and what consideration she has given to designating chiropody courses.

The categories of courses which attract mandatory grants are laid down in the Education Acts. Chiropody courses could be considered only under the category of courses comparable to first degree courses, and my right hon. Friend does not regard chiropody courses as falling within that category.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what are the special hazards and problems associated with the holding of stocks of coal, oil and gas or their derivatives;(2) if he will place in the

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 26th January 1977. —[Vol. 924, c. 633–4.]

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will ensure that elderly council tenants in the Birmingham area, paying for their electricity through the heating and rent scheme, are not prevented from receiving an electricity discount under his proposed new arrangements.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friends the Members for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Mr. Litterick) and Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) on 26th January.—[Vol. 924, c. 634–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make reciprocal arrangements with the Government of the Irish Republic to prevent the practice of British citizens working in the Republic claiming unemployment benefit in Northern Ireland.

I believe that the existing arrangements to prevent the practice of British citizens working in the Republic of Ireland while claiming unemployment benefit in Northern Ireland are as effective as they can be and that this type of fraud is minimal. If, however, the hon. Member has any evidence of fraud in particular cases I shall be glad if he will bring it to the attention of the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his policy of allowing terrorist leaders immunity from the law.

There is no such policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many members of the Ulster Defence Regiment made personal injury claims under the Criminal Injuries to Persons (Compensation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 in which compensation amounted to less than £350; and what percentage this was of the total number of claims paid out;(2) how many members of the Army made personal injury claims under the Criminal Injuries to Persons (Compensation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 in which compensation amounted to less than £350; and what percentage this was of the total number of claims paid out;(3) how many members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve made personal injury claims under the Criminal Injuries to Persons (Compensation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 in which compensation amounted to less than £350; and what percentage this was of the total number of claims paid out;(4) how many members of the civilian population made personal injury claims under the Criminal Injuries to Persons (Compensation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 in which compensation amounted to less than £350; and what percentage this was of the total number of claims paid out;(5) how many members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary made personal injury claims under the Criminal Injuries to Persons (Compensation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 in which compensation amounted to less than £350; and what percentage this was of the total number of claims paid out.

Records of compensation paid under the Criminal Injuries to Persons (Compensation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 are not kept in a way that would enable the information to be given in the exact form requested without a disproportionate use of staff time and resources. Some figures are, however, available in respect of claims settled in 1976 and these are set out in the table below:

	Number of awards of less than £350 in 1976*	Percentage of the total number of claims settled in 1976 Per cent.
Civilian†	995	33
RUC and RUC Reserve‡	167	62
Army and UDR§	69	27
	1,231	35
* Death and injury awards.
† Includes Members of the RUC Reserve and the UDR killed or injured while off duty.
‡ Includes Members of the RUC Reserve killed or injured while on duty.
§ Includes Members of the UDR killed or injured while on duty.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has given consideration to re-arming the RUC with the AR15 instead of the M1 Carbine; and what conclusion he has reached.

The provision of weapons for the RUC is a matter for the Chief Constable and the Police Authority. I understand that the M1 carbine was selected as the most suitable weapon for police use in Northern Ireland after the range of weapons available had been carefully considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from Scotland about the proposed closure of the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, Baird Street, Glasgow.

Twelve letters have been received about the proposed temporary closure of the centre during the holiday period. A temporary closure of this kind is a matter of day-to-day management and is for the Greater Glasgow Health Board to decide.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the number of households containing disabled children, and the rate per 1,000 child population in each local authority who received assistance with holidays in the first full year of operation of the new authorities;(2) if he will list the number of households containing disabled children, and the rate per 1,000 child population in each local authority who received assistance with adaptations to the home in the first full year of operation of the new authorities;(3) if he will list the number of households containing disabled children, and the rate per 1,000 child population in each local authority who received assistance with the installation of telephones in the first full year of operation of the new authorities;(4) if he will list the number of households containing disabled children, and the rate per 1,000 child population in each local authority who received assistance with the provision of aids in the first full year of operation of the new authorities;(5) if he will list the number of households, and the rate per 1,000 population in each local authority who received assistance with holidays in the first full year of operation of the new authorities; and if he will also list the net expenditure per 1,000 population on holidays by each local authority;(6) if he will list the number of households, and the rate per 1,000 population

College		1971–72	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75	1975–76
Aberdeen	…	13,123	16,818	34,960	22,732	28,017
Callendar Park	…	18,251	26,927	20,922	27,582	25,801
Craigie	…	30,765	33,397	29,019	28,418	28,996
Craiglockhart	…	19,414	17,245	29,158	45,970	47,372
Dundee	…	25,534	26,256	27,857	31,989	56,997
Dunfermline	…	16,683	18,533	24,518	38,121	59,640
Hamilton	…	26,631	34,616	41,437	42,169	50,216
Jordanhill	…	81,315	99,163	92,858	115,886	96,470
Moray House	…	45,026	70,327	88,081	97,427	89,331
Notre Dame	…	41,004	48,056	63,444	69,369	89,838
Total	…	317,746	391,338	452,254	519,663	572,678

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the in each local authority who received assistance with adaptations to the home in the first full year of operation of the new authorities; and if he will also list the net expenditure per 1,000 population on adaptations by each local authority;(7) if he will list the number of households, and the rate per 1,000 population in each local authority who received assistance with the installation of telephones in the first full year of operation of the new authorities; and if he will also list the net expenditure per 1,000 population on telephones by each local authority;(8) if he will list the number of households, and the rate per 1,000 population in each local authority who received assistance with the provision of aids in the first full year of operation of the new authorities; and if he will also list the net expenditure per 1,000 population on aids by each local authority.

The latest information available in respect of the provision of assistance of various kinds remains that which I gave to the hon. Member on 16th July 1976.—[Vol. 915, c. 306–8.] Information about expenditure on different forms of assistance is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish details of the maintenance costs of each teacher-training college over each of the past five years.

The following table shows expenditure on the maintenance of premises and equipment, including replacements of and additions to college equipment, and excluding rates, heating and lighting:redundancy terms which apply to nonacademic staff in colleges of education; and how these terms compare with the Crombie Code.

Redundant non-academic staff may be eligible, like redundant academic staff, for compensation under the Crombie Code. In determining the amount of resettlement compensation under the code, any payment under the Redundancy Payments Act 1965, for which they might also be eligible, would be offset.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the expected date of completion of Craigie and Callendar Park colleges of education and the expected life of their Medway buildings.

Both colleges were substantially completed and admitted their first students in 1964. As regards their expected life, I have nothing to add to my answer of 27th January to my hon. Friend the Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan).—[Vol. 924, c. 732.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the budget for each of the colleges of education in the current year and the estimates for each for the forthcoming financial year.

The figures in column (1) of the following table show the budgets for the current year as accepted by my right hon. Friend. Those in column (2) are figures submitted by the colleges last autumn, which will be reviewed by my right hon. Friend in the light of his proposals for reorganisation of the colleges and the financial situation generally. Both columns include income to be received on the colleges' trading accounts—that is, the hostel and restaurant accounts.

		1976–77	1977–78
		(1)	(2)
		£	£
Aberdeen	…	2,397,500	2,572,906
Callendar Park	…	1,051,327	1,093,530
Craigie	…	1,014,996	1,112,532
Craiglockhart	…	618,056	579,651
Dundee	…	2,136,438	2,209,131
Dunfermline	…	1,080,040	1,141,300
Hamilton	…	1,670,386	1,739,621
Jordanhill	…	5,471,983	6,241,714
Moray House	…	3,580,376	3,961,903
Notre Dame	…	2,102,696	2,197,675
		21,123,798	22,849,963

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what total capital sum and annual recurring cost would arise in the event of redundancies affecting (a) the most junior 400 lecturers at colleges of education and (b) the most senior 400 lecturers at colleges of education.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (Lord James Douglas-Hamilton) on 25th January.—[Vol. 924, c. 563.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what would be the additional costs resulting from the removal of (a) Dunfermline College to Dundee and (b) Craiglockhart College to Jordanhill or Moray House.

Any estimates of the cost of the proposals in my right hon. Friend's paper of 17th January must await the detailed information and advice which he hopes to obtain from the bodies that he is consulting.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total student roll of Dundee College of Education at present and on the equivalent dates in 1970, 1965, 1960 and 1955.

The following table shows under (a) the total number of students and under (b) the number attending courses other than pre-service teacher training:

			(a)	(b)
October 1955	…	…	301	Not known
October 1960	…	…	401	15
October 1965	…	…	881	23
October 1970	…	…	1,084	11
October 1976	…	…	753	127

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the optimum student roll for which the Dundee College buildings were designed and the projected annual national output of trained teachers from which that figure was derived.

There is no optimum student roll for a college of education. The new buildings were designed to take a maximum of 1,800 students in the expectation that the actual number would vary according to requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total student roll of Dunfermline College of Physical Education at present; and what it was on the equivalent dates for 1970, 1965, 1960 and 1955.

The following table shows under (a) the total number of students and under (b) the number attending courses other than pre-service teacher training:

		(a)	(b)
October 1955	…	185	Not known
October 1960	…	192	5
October 1965	…	274	7
October 1970	…	419	5
October 1976	…	557	12

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the optimum student roll for the present buildings of Dunfermline College of Physical Education.

Five hundred teaching places are available, but there is no optimum roll.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the year in which the Dunfermline College (a) moved to Aberdeen, (b) moved to Edinburgh, and (c) could be moved to Dundee under the proposals contained in his consultative paper on teacher-training.

The college moved to Aberdeen in 1950 and to Edinburgh in 1966. The consultative paper suggests that any closures or amalgamations which may be necessary should be made as from the beginning of the academic year 1978–79.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress is being made in preparing regulations under Section 24 of the Superannuation Act to assist staff in local authorities over 50 per years of age who are being prematurely retired or made redundant.

The preparation of these regulations is a large and complex task, which is being undertaken in parallel with work on the corresponding regulations for England and Wales. Every effort is being made to bring the regulations forward.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many remissions of (a) dental and (b) optical charges were made on grounds of low income in 1976.

I shall publish the information in the Official Report as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many day centre places are available in England and Wales for use by the elderly.

At 31st March 1976, 22,600 places were available for the elderly in separate day centres or associated with residential homes. In addition there were 13,000 places in day centres for mixed client groups including the elderly. Information about places run by voluntary organisations is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many day centre places would be needed to meet his Department's guidelines on provision per 1,000 population.

21,000–28,000 places in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many local authorities in England and Wales have a level of day centre provision equal to, or in excess of, that suggested by his Department's guidelines; and if he will list them;(2) how many local authorities in England and Wales have no day centre provision for the elderly; and if he will list them.

The following 41 authorities have a level of provision equal to or in excess of three places per 1,000 elderly:

• Cleveland
• Newcastle-upon-Tyne
• S. Tyneside
• Humberside
• Rotherham
• Kirklees
• Cheshire
• Manchester
• Rochdale
• Tameside
• Wigan
• Liverpool
• Wirral
• Gwynedd
• Mid Glamorgan
• South Glamorgan
• Solihull
• Leicestershire
• Nottinghamshire
• Bedfordshire
• Cambridgeshire
• Norfolk
• Camden
• Islington
• Lambeth
• Lewisham
• Tower Hamlets
• Wandsworth
• Barnet
• Brent
• Bromley
• Harrow
• Havering
• Hillingdon
• Hounslow
• Kingston-upon-Thames
• Merton
• Redbridge
• Richmond-upon-Thames
• Waltham Forest
• Dorset

The following seven authorities have no day centre places available for the elderly:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider giving guidance about the minimum standards of provision to those authorities which offer no provision at the present time.

The question of issuing guidance on minimum standards for social service provision generally is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what major factors he ascribes the turndown in cancer death rates revealed for the first time in the statistics produced by the Registrar General for the survey issued by the Office of Population Census and Surveys, "Death Surveyance England and Wales 1968–1974".

The survey to which the hon. Member refers shows a steady increase in overall death rates from cancer over the years 1968 to 1974 and I am writing to him to see if I can help with more detailed information.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in the light of evidence to the Royal Commission on the National Health Service from the Society of Civil Public Servants, he will make a statement on the over-management, delays, wastage and high costs in the running of the Health Service and regional and area health authorities.

It is not my policy to comment on all the evidence submitted to the Royal Commission on the National Health Service, and I have not seen any evidence that the Society of Civil and Public Servants may have submitted. However, the views of this Government on the Conservative Government's reorganisation of the National Health Service are well known.Health authorities in England are reviewing their administrative costs in all disciplines so as to streamline the management system of the National Health Service within existing legislation and to eliminate possible duplication of effort between the various tiers of the service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the saving to public expenditure in a full year if his Department authorised hotel charges of £20 per week in hospitals, £2 charges for visits to family doctors, £5 charges to visit hospital casualty departments and 50p prescription charges, as suggested in the McKinsey Report on the National Health Service.

It is estimated that an increase in the prescription charge to 50p, with existing exemptions, would reduce net public expenditure in England by £45 million a year. New charges would require primary legislation; on certain assumptions about exemptions—for example, for children, those on low incomes, the chronically sick—the gross revenue is estimated at about:

£ million
Hotel charge at £20 per week (Less offset of existing social security benefits	90
£2 charge for visits to family doctors	110
£5 charge for visits to Accident and Emergency Departments	10

The increase in administrative staff necessary to run these charges would be very large and would take up a significant proportion of this revenue. In the case of the hotel charge it might be necessary either to introduce compulsory insurance cover or to accept a high level of bad debt. The introduction of these charges would also lead to serious hardship to many individuals and the postponement of treatment, with consequently worse health problems later and heavy indirect costs to the country.Taxing the sick would be unacceptable to the Government, which remains committed to the ultimate objective that the Health Service should be free at the point of need.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in the light of reports of his comments on the McKinsey Report on the National Health Service, he can explain how those people with the ability to pay are currently presented with opportunities to pay directly for hotel care in hospitals and for visits to casualty departments and family doctors.

Any patient who can afford it and who wishes, as an expression of gratitude to or support for his local hospital or for local health services, may give or bequeath money to a health authority for the benefit of any institution or service he chooses to nominate. Such donations and legacies—which in the financial year ended 31st March 1976 amounted to £8,849,000—are administered by health authorities as trust funds in accordance with the wishes of the donor. Such help is greatly appreciated and can be a significant source of addi- tional revenue for the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total sum paid from public funds to persons dependent on supplementary benefit and aid from the Supplementary Benefits Commission to offset the amounts being paid by the recipients in fines during 1974, 1975 and 1976; and how many individual fines and how many separate instalments of fines were paid for by funds from the Supplementary Benefits Commission.

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Sproat) on 15th November 1976.—[Vol. 919, c. 405.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the school dental service in Walsall; and what can be done to improve it.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Dr. Owen) gave him on 20th July 1976—[Vol. 915, c. 457–8.] I understand that the situation has not changed and that it has not proved possible to fill one additional dental officer post for which finance is available. I also understand that efforts are being made to attract general dental practitioners into the area and to whom school children might turn for treatment which the school dental service cannot provide.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what will be the likely results of the public expenditure cuts on the extent and quality of social service provision.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what will be the likely results of the public expenditure cuts on the extent and quality of social service provision.

The changes in public expenditure announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 22nd July and 15th December 1976 reduced planned capital expenditure on the personal social services by £3 million in both 1977–78 and 1978–79. In addition, about £6 million has been transferred to current provision as part of the rate support grant settlement for 1977–78. These reductions in capital expenditure will reduce the number of additional facilities that can be provided but will not have any significant effect on services. I have suggested to the local authorities that the general strategy should be to protect field and domiciliary services at the expense where necessary of other services.—[Vol. 915, c. 2010–32; Vol. 922, c. 1525–37.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will abolish or modify the earnings stop for disabled people, so as to encourage those who are able to do so to take employment.

While the answer must be "No", I think there may be some misunderstanding here. Sickness benefit and invalidity benefit are payable only to people who are incapable of work. This means that they must, in the shorter term, be incapable of doing their normal job and, in the longer term, be incapable of doing any job for which an employer would pay them and which they could reasonably be expected to do. Those who have satisfied the statutory authorities that they are incapable of work in this sense may be able to receive their benefit even though they do a small amount of therapeutic work from which earnings are ordinarily not more than £9 a week net of working expenses. Given the underlying incapacity condition, a much higher figure would not necessarily extend work possibilities; it would, where it had any effect, allow benefit plus earnings to be substantially in excess of rehabilitation and training allowances, earnings in sheltered employment, and even full-time earnings in some open employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will introduced a tax-free disablement pension assessed according to the degree of disability.

We are unlikely, in the near future, to have available resources over and above those required by the introduction of new benefits and our commitment to the improvement of existing benefits. The new benefits are noncontributory invalidity pension, the mobility allowance, the invalid care allowance and the non-contributory invalidity pension for married women incapable of doing their housework. These will provide 250,000 new non-means-tested benefits where previously there was either no provision or only means-tested provision. In addition, we shall be introducing earnings-related invalidity pension as part of the new pension scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many reports have been presented pursuant to Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970; and when he expects to publish the report relating to 1976.

Six reports have so far been presented. I expect to publish the report for 1976 in July.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will extend the mobility allowance to people over pensionable age.

We have made it clear from the outset that the major advance in outdoor mobility help represented by the new mobility allowance could be achieved, at a time of considerable economic difficulty, only if we were prepared to do less than we would ideally have liked to do. The general limitation of the allowance to people below pensionable age reflects the very substantial extra cost—about £125 million—that would be involved if it were to cover people over that age.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people have, so far, been denied mobility allowance on the grounds that their condition does not permit them from time to time to benefit from enhanced facilities for locomotion; and if he will describe the conditions and circumstances which led to the decision in each case.

Since the inception of mobility allowance, the number of people whose claims have been disallowed on these grounds is 47. I shall be in touch with my hon. Friend in due course about any useful general results that may emerge from an examination of these cases on which we had already embarked.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will increase the level of non-contributory invalidity pension which is now less than the level of supplementary benefit and in general results in the loss of heating, dietary and free prescription allowances.

The level of noncontributory invalidity pension, which was increased in line with other benefits in November last, has been set as high as was possible. Any special heating or dietary needs will be reflected in the assessment of requirements for supplementary benefit. Thus the receipt of a non-contributory invalidity pension need not reduce a claimant's overall income; nor need it extinguish entitlement on low income grounds to free prescriptions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will advance the date for the introduction of the non-contributory invalidity pension.

The non-contributory pension has in fact already been introduced and is currently in payment to 130,000 beneficiaries. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer explained on 22nd July 1976—[Vol. 915, c. 2016]—the extension of non-contributory invalidity pensions, which was introduced for men and single women in November 1975, to include married women incapable of doing their house work, has had to be delayed until November 1977 in order to restrict public expenditure. The necessary regulations are now being considered by the National Insurance Advisory Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of the statements in leaflet M11 on free spectacles, it is open to health authorities to impose charges for standard NHS lenses in respect of children receiving full-time education on the grounds that the child attends a fee-paying school.

Not generally, but payment may be required for replacement if lenses are damaged through the carelessness of such children. The distinction goes back to arrangements made for the school health service under the Education Act 1944. My right hon. Friend has this matter under consideration.