asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to introduce legislation to implement the proposals of the Brodrick Committee on Coroners.

The Criminal Law Bill includes provisions to implement the recommendations of the Brodrick Committee on Death Certification and Coroners relating to the abolition of the coroner's power to commit for trial, and of the need to sit with a jury in certain cases.In pursuance of a decision announced on 29th July last year, a working party has been set up to consider what amendments to the Coroners' Rules will be necessary in the first place in consequence of the legislative provisions mentioned above and subsequently to implement those procedural reforms indicated in the committee's report that can be achieved by subordinate legislation; the working party is now engaged on the first part of its task.The introduction of substantive legislation on the remaining recommendations that have been accepted by the Government will be considered in due course in the light of discussions with the various bodies concerned based on a consultative document setting out detailed proposals which is in an advanced stage of preparation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to raise with the NATO allies the need for European integration of Civil Defence into defence planning generally.

No. We and our NATO allies regard Civil Defence as a national responsibility. There exists in NATO, under the Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee, a Civil Defence

					Firearms		Shot Guns
					Issues	Renewals	Issues	Renewals
Force:
Metropolitan Police	…	…	…	…	1,086	2,573	3,466	7,541
Avon and Somerset	…	…	…	…	803	2,050	2,300	9 000
Greater Manchester	…	…	…	…	309	858	1,398	3,228
Lancashire	…	…	…	…	317	1,025	1,652	4,512
Lincolnshire	…	…	…	…	332	1,563	1,176	6,882
North Wales	…	…	…	…	244	909	1,800	4,729
North Yorkshire	…	…	…	…	444	1,557	1,698	9,991
Surrey	…	…	…	…	342	756	1,370	3,536

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act at Liverpool during 1976 when travelling by overnight ferry to Belfast; and how many were subsequently served with exclusion orders.

143 and three.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were detained at Stranraer during 1976 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act; how many were detained for two days, three days, four days, five days, six Committee, in which all member countries play an active part in mutually helpful discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take to resolve the issues raised by the report of Mr. Hugh Elvett Francis, QC, to the Charity Commissioners regarding properties held in trust for the Exclusive Brethren.

I have no responsibility in this matter. I understand that the issues to which my hon. Friend refers can be resolved only by proceedings in the courts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the number issued in each instance of firearm and shotgun certificate grants and renewals, for the police force areas listed in the Official Report on 11th November 1976, in reply to the Question by the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Hardy).

The police forces state that the number of certificates issued or nenewed in 1975 was:days and seven days, respectively; and how many of those detained were subsequently served with exclusion orders.

150, of whom three were detained for two days, two for four days and five for seven days. Four were served with exclusion orders.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were detained during 1976 by the police on arrival at Liverpool by the overnight ferry from Belfast under the Prevention of Terrorism Act; how many were detained for two days, three days, four days, five days, six days and seven days, respectively; and how many of those detained were subsequently served with exclusion orders.

140, of whom 35 were detained for two days, 12 for three days, one for four days, one for five days, one for six days and one for seven days. One person was served with an exclusion order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons travelling to and from Belfast during 1976 were detained at Heathrow Airport under the Prevention of Terrorism Act; how many were held for two days, three days, four days, five days, six days and seven days, respectively; and how many were subsequently served with exclusion orders.

64, of whom 20 were detained for two days, two for four days, one for five days, and one for seven days. None was served with an exclusion order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the composition and terms of reference of his Advisory Committee on the Working of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876.

We are considering the need for changes in the composition of the Advisory Committee on the administration of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 and whether it should be given precise terms of reference.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport which route bypassing Broughton, Northants, has been approved; and whether he will make a statement.

Route B has been selected as the preferred route. As part of the process of consulting the public an exhibition was held in August 1975, at which three options were suggested for the route of the Broughton bypass on the A43 trunk road in my right hon. Friend's constituency. The two routes to the west of the village were strongly favoured by the respondents to the questionnaire and there was a significant majority in favour of Route B.There is little to choose between the three options on environmental grounds. The selected route will provide a better junction with Cransley Hill than the other western route. The provision of a footbridge near the junction will be examined. The cost of the bypass on this route, at 1975 prices, is £795,000.The detailed design work will now proceed, and subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures and the availability of funds traffic should start to flow on the bypass some time in 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will prepare plans for the construction of a bypass around the village of Bingham when the draft order proposing that the A52 Nottingham-Grantham road should become a trunk road is brought into effect.

Once the A52 between Nottingham and Grantham becomes a trunk road we shall consider the need for individual improvements, including a bypass for Bingham, in the context of the national trunk road programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reconsider his decison not to offer a refund of a driving test fee in the special case of a lady about whom the hon. Member for Southend, West has written to him.

I have reviewed my decision, but I do not think that the facts of the case are such as to warrant my changing it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who should be contacted in his Department in cases of emergency at weekends.

The Ministry's Duty Room in Whitehall Place maintains a 24-hour service and can be contacted at weekends through the numbers published in the London Telephone Directory (01–839 5732 and 5708) and also obtainable from directory enquiries. The Ministry's veterinary services locally can be contacted through numbers in local telephone directories. In cases concerning possible outbreaks of notifiable disease the local police will notify the appropriate veterinary officer.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why, although he was invited, no representative of his Department attended the Fourth Annual Conference of the Tree Council on the theme "Trees in the Rural Landscape—the next 25 years", at which the National Farmers' Union, the Forestry Commission, the Country Landowners Association, many local authorities and the Department of the Environment were represented.

The Tree Council, an independent organisation, did not in fact invite my right hon. Friend nor any official from my Department to its conference. My right hon. Friend was, however, represented by a Forestry Commissioner and two other officials of the Forestry Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps he proposes to take to obtain redress for Mr. W. Ferguson, of York, who was rejected for a post at Limerick Technical College allegedly on the grounds that he did not speak Irish despite the fact that a knowledge of Irish was not an essential requirement for the job.

A reply from the Irish authorities to the further representations made by Her Majesty's Embassy in Dublin has just been received. I am writing to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the provisions contained in Acts of Parliament, regulations or rules which are the responsibility of his Department and which afford unequal treatment between an illegitimate and a legitimate child or between the parent of a legitimate child and the parent of an illegitimate child.

There is no Act of Parliament, for which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responsible, which treats the parents of legitimate and illegitimate children differently.A distinction is made between a legitimate and an illegitimate child or father in:—

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Her Majesty's Government abstained from the decision by the United Nations Human Rights Group to send a telegram to the Israeli Government, expressing concern at the deaths of Arab detainees in Israeli gaols which were attributable to the conditions of their imprisonment.

We abstained because, while we are naturally concerned at these reports, the proposed telegram prejudged the issue of the possible illtreatment of Arab detainees in Israeli prisons. The Federal Republic of Germany and Italy, the other members of the Nine represented on the Commission on Human Rights, also abstained.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to give all British subjects the right to appeal direct to the United Nations if they consider that their rights under the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights have been violated.

No. Her Majesty's Government's decision not to ratify the Optional Protocol of the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights providing for a right of individual petition was taken after careful consideration. However, the hon. Member will be aware that by our acceptance of Article 25 of the European Convention on Human Rights all persons of whatever nationality have the right of recourse to the European Commission of Human Rights if they consider themselves victims of an infringement by the United Kingdom Government of the rights set out in the convention. These rights are broadly similar to those in the United Nations Covenant.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the sanctions-breaking operations conducted to procure trade for firms in Israel in Southern Rhodesian products or manufactures as reported by Henry Kerby to the previous Prime Minister.

When we have sufficient information to suggest that foreign companies have been trading with Southern Rhodesia, we submit this to the United Nations Sanctions Committee in New York. Two notes naming Israeli firms were submitted in 1975. None was submitted in 1976.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of value added tax collected in the latest available year on the sales of shotguns, rifles, airweapons and handguns and their ammunition.

I regret that this information is not available. For VAT statistical purposes, suppliers of sporting weapons and ammunition are included in a larger group of retailers supplying leather goods, sports goods, toys and fancy goods.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many convictions have been obtained against persons using agricultural diesel fuel in commercial and private vehicles in Northern Ireland during the past five years; and what have been the sentences imposed.

In the five calendar years 1972–76, 46 persons were convicted in Northern Ireland for offences involving the misuse of oil not permitted to be used in road vehicles. The penalties, ranging from £10 to £200, amounted to £3,042. In no case was a custodial sentence imposed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the Inland Revenue are now employed in collecting taxes; how this compares to five, 10 and 20 years ago; and what is

				Total staff involved in tax collection (Collection Office staff in brackets)		Total cost*£m.	Percentage of net yield
Year ending 31st March 1977	…	…	…	74,800†	(9,950)†	354·4‡	1·95‡
Year ended 31st March 1972	…	…	…	65,800	(7,070)	144·7	1·59
Year ended 31st March 1967	…	…	…	54,100	(5,820)	78·0	1·56
Year ended 31st March 1957	…	…	…	45,600	(5,290)	40·6	1·49
* Including apportioned costs of administration, and of costs borne by other departments; actual prices.
† Actual figures at 1st February 1977.
‡ Figures for the year ended 31st March 1976.

The percentage cost for 1976–77 is not strictly comparable with that for earlier years. From 1973–74, superannuation has been costed on an accrual basis instead of on the basis of cash expenditure; and from 1974–75 the cost of services provided by the Property Services Agency has been assessed on the basis of "market value" instead of "historic cost". It is estimated that these changes account for 0·18 per cent. of the 1·95 per cent. for 1975–76.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the sector working parties mentioned the special allowances for United Kingdom personnel who spend a considerable time overseas selling British products, as presenting a problem; and if he proposes to take action to remedy this difficulty.

Two sector working parties mentioned in their December reports the desirability, in order to encourage export sales, of the introduc his estimate of the current cost of tax collection compared with five, 10 and 20 years ago.

Although the bulk of direct collection work on the taxes on income and capital gains falls to the staff of the local collection offices, most Inland Revenue staff—apart from some of those employed on central administration and in the valuation offices —are involved to a greater or lesser extent in various aspects of the collection processes for these and the other taxes administered by the Inland Revenue. The relevant figures for the years mentioned are given in the table, together with the overall cost of collection of all the Inland Revenue taxes, expressed both in money terms and as a proportion of the net yield.tion of tax allowances or reliefs for United Kingdom company personnel who spend time overseas in pursuit of exports. The Inland Revenue issued in December a consultative document containing proposals for changes in the rules governing the tax treatment of employees living in the United Kingdom and working abroad. This document invited the views of interested bodies on the proposals. My right hon. Friend will be considering the responses made to this document before deciding what changes should be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total revenue in the latest available year from the issue of game licences.

I regret that the information is not available. A record of the revenue received from game licences is not kept centrally. The Post Office passes such duties direct to local authorities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current price of a driving licence, a shotgun certificate and a firearm certificate and the period of validity of each.

The fee for a full driving licence is £5. This is valid until the driver reaches the age of 70 with renewal free on application at three-yearly intervals thereafter.Fees payable on the grant of firearm and shotgun certificates are £12 and £5, respectively, and a renewal £10 and £4. They are valid for three years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his Written Answer to the hon. Member for Stockport, South, Official Report, 25th January, c. 591, when the second volume of "The Government's Expenditure Plans" will be published.

We propose to publish the second volume of this White Paper, which will contain details of individual expenditure programmes and other supporting material, on Friday, 25th February.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the increase in total debt per head of the United Kingdom population through internal and external borrowing which has been incurred since 31st March 1974.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 21st February 1977; Vol. 926, c. 422], gave the following information:The increase in total public sector debt per head between 31st March 1974 and 31st March 1976 is estimated to have been £365 per head. Net borrowing from 1st April 1976 to 30th September 1976 amounted to £95 per head.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy on the question of whether a health authority should provide accommodation when a patient from one of its districts needs admission to hospital immediately as an emergency, in the light of the recent report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioner for England.

The decision whether to admit a patient to a National Health Service hospital rests with the hospital doctor to whom the patient has been referred and is a matter for his clinical judgment. A decision by a hospital doctor below the grade of consultant not to admit a patient to hospital may be referred to the responsible consultant who would decide the matter. I would expect a health authority to provide accommodation for the admission to hospital of a patient who a responsible hospital doctor considered should be admitted immediately as an emergency. I am writing to the hon. Member about the particular case to which he has drawn my attention.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what circumstances his Department provides disabled persons with vehicles with automatic transmission; how many such cars have been provided by his Department; and if he is satisfied with the existing criteria for the supply of such vehicles.

A disabled war pensioner satisfying certain medical criteria may choose to be provided with either an invalid tricycle, the current model of which has automatic transmission, or a motor car, which will not have automatic transmission unless the Department's medical officer certifies this to be medically essential. The benefit applicable to other disabled persons, except those with a reserved right to a vehicle on the terms applicable when the former vehicle scheme came to an end on 31st December 1975, is the mobility allowance. Vehicles are therefore not issued to new applicants apart from war pensioners and those benefiting from a temporary arrangement under which tricycles may be provided to people who cannot receive mobility allowance solely because their age group has not yet been phased in to the new scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the numbers, makes and types of foreign vehicles purchased by his Department during the past three years.

During the past three years, 420 Renault 4 vehicles have been purchased for use by eligible disabled persons in the United Kingdom. The four-wheeled vehicle normally provided is the British Leyland Mini. This will not meet the needs of some disabled people, however, and for these the ease of access and greater headroom provided by the Renault 4 make it the most suitable vehicle.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will enter into negotiations with the Manor House Hospital with a view to absorbing it into the National Health Service.

I am informed that the Barnet Area Health Authority, within whose area the hospital is situated, has no resources available to take on such additional commitments.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what criteria he adopts for judging the efficiency of National Health Service expenditure in the North-West.

Judgment of efficiency depends on a combination of subjective assessment based on recognised experience and expertise and quantitative measurement. The scope of the latter is limited to activities for which measurement is possible. Tools for monitoring performance include accounting and auditing procedures, research, management service techniques and statistical analysis.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with staffing levels in the North-Western Regional Health Authority.

In comparison with national averages of staffing levels, there are deficiencies in a number of classes of staff. I hope that these will be gradually corrected as progress is made towards a fairer distribution of financial resources between regions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will discuss with the dental profession a capitation fee for child patients.

The Committee on Child Health Services—Court—has recommended that a model should be set up to evaluate a primary care service for children based on the general dental service with a system of remuneration provided by a capitation fee. The report is currently the subject of consultation with a wide range of bodies, including the British Dental Association, and I shall be interested in their views on this particular recommendation. I do not think it would be appropriate to open discussions on this particular aspect of the report before I have the views of all concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make available topical fluorides and fisure sealants to all handicapped children through the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

The use of these methods and the extent of their provision in the community dental services of the National Health Service are for each area health authority to decide in the light of its resources, its assessment of the dental benefit and its statutory duty to provide dental services for pupils at maintained schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many experimental dental emergency centres have been set up to assess the need for treatment at weekends and on bank holidays: when his Department announced the decision to establish such centres; and if he will make a statement.

My Department accepted the Working Party on Dental Services' recommendation to set up dental emergency trials and started discussions with the profession as soon as a viable scheme had been worked out. These arrangements were alluded to in the reply of my right hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Dr. Owen), to the hon. Member for Bedfordshire, South (Mr. Madel) on 28th January 1975.—[Vol. 885 c. 73–4.] None of the four schemes proposed in England has been set up because my Department has hitherto been unable, under current pay policy, to reach agreement with representatives of the profession on the level of fee to be paid to the participating dentists. The matter is still subject to further discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the different types of contraceptive available to men and women through the family planning clinics, the price of each individual item and the total annual cost of providing such contraceptives free of charge.

Health authorities in England have been advised by my Department that all recognised form of contraceptive substances and appliances should be available from family planning clinics. These include condoms, oral contraceptives, cervical caps, diaphragms, intrauterine contraceptive devices, spermicides, and thermometers and temperature charts for the rhythm method. Progestogens by injection in women are also available for use in certain circumstances. There is a variety of brands of each type of contraceptive. The brands supplied depend largely on the clinical judgment of the doctors involved. The total cost of contraceptives provided at clinics in England is estimated to be about £5 million in 1976–77. It is not possible to give the cost of each individual item since there is no central record of purchases and the cost depends on the brand and quantity ordered. Certain contraceptives are also available free of charge to women on prescription by family practitioners; the annual cost of supplies so prescribed is estimated to be about £9 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements exist for the treatment of emergencies, accidents and casualties in the Merton, Wimbledon district.

The principal accident and emergency facilities within the Sutton and West Merton Health District, in which Wimbledon lies, are provided at St. Helier Hospital, Carshalton, and Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton. Additional facilities are available to the inhabitants of Wimbledon at St. George's Hospital, Tooting, and St. James' Hospital, Balham.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, if the present consultations over Wimbledon Hospital result in its closure, what arrangements will be made for the treatment of emergencies, accidents and casualties in the Merton, Wimbledon district.

Since, as I understand, no accident and emergency or casualty services are provided at the Wimbledon Hospital, alternative arrangements would not be necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any person in Great Britain has had his or her social security payments deducted to pay rent arrears to the local housing authority.

Benefits payable under the Social Security Act 1975 are inalienable. Supplementary benefit in respect of rent, payable under the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976, is paid direct to a local housing authority or other landlord if a claimant persistently defaults. Such payments may include a small sum for arrears in appropriate cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if the present consultations over Wimbledon Hospital result in its closure, what arrangements are being made for alternative accommodation in the district;(2) if the present consultations over Wimbledon Hospital result in its closure, what arrangements are being made to protect the staff.

As indicated in my reply to the hon. and learned Member on 18th January—[Vol. 924, c. 171]—consideration of this matter is at an early stage. The area health authority has not entered into any formal consultations on the possible closure of this hospital but I am assured that, should it do so, these would cover the needs of patients as well as the question of alternative employment for staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the percentage of occupancy of beds at Wimbledon Hospital compared with similar units in the district.

The average occupancy of beds in this hospital during 1976 was 59·8 per cent.; but since no other hospital in the Sutton and West Merton

Hospital			Average bed occupancy Per cent.	Main Specialties (In-patient)
Nelson Hospital, Merton	…	…	62·9	General Surgery
				Traumatic and Orthopaedic Surgery
				ENT and Gynaecology
St. George's Hospital, Tooting	…	…	83·3	General Medicine
				General Surgery
				Infectious Diseases
				Geriatrics, ENT
				Traumatic and Orthopaedic Surgery
				Ophthalmology
				Plastic Surgery
				Oral Surgery
				Gynaecology
				Obstetrics
				Neurology
				Paediatrics
Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton	…	…	83·3	General Medicine
				General Surgery
				Psychiatry
				Traumatic and Orthopaedic Surgery
				Plastic Surgery
				Dental and Oral Surgery
				Gynaecology
				Obstetrics
				Regional Burns Unit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans in the foreseeable future to set up a special national benefit scheme for the totally disabled who are unable to work Health District has a similar mix of specialities no valid comparison is possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of beds available in Wimbledon Hospital and what specialities they cover; and in what proportion to the whole.

I understand that the average daily number of available beds at this hospital in 1976 was 70·9 out of a total bed complement of 72: geriatric care, 36; general surgery, 31; general medicine, 5.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services which are the three nearest general hospitals to Wimbledon Hospital; what is the percentage of occupancy of beds in each on average over the last six months; and what specialities each covers.

The following information applies to the 12 months January-December 1976:to obtain a sufficient wage to support their families.

Disabled people who are unable to work are already entitled to appropriate benefits, which have been improved in recent years and are still being improved. We are paying each week about 450,000 contributory and 130,000 non-contributory invalidity pensions. Moreover, entitlement to earnings-related invalidity pension will begin to build up from April 1978, and easements will be made in the age bands for the invalidity allowance in 1979. My hon. Friend may like to know that mobility allowance and attendance allowance may he paid in addition to invalidity benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons, their unemployment benefit having run out, were in receipt of supplementary benefit in 1976 in the Northern Region, in the following age groups (a) 16 to 20 years, (b) 20 to 40 years and (c) 40 to 65 years.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to discourage area health authorities from closing temporarily hospital facilities, about the long-term future of which they are involved in public consultation.

Temporary closures occur for a variety of reasons including, for example, shortages of staff or financial resources, infection, or deficiencies of the building. Area health authorities must be free to make whatever arrangements are necessary for the day-to-day management of hospital services in such circumstances. Nevertheless, they have been asked to inform community health councils of any substantial temporary closures at as early a stage as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to announce the location of the 1,000 pay beds to be withdrawn from NHS hospitals within six months of the Health Services Act 1976 having received Royal Assent.

My right hon. Friends and I expect to publish a full list of the 1,000 pay beds to be withdrawn from NHS hospitals in Great Britain by the beginning of May. Health authorities in England which have been consulting locally have been asked to let me have their detailed proposals by 28th February. This will allow reasonable time for considering their recommendations and for the preparation and issue of revised pay bed authorisations well in advance of the statutory requirement which is that this should be done by 21st May 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to announce the name of the new Chairman of the Health Services Board.

My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales and I have invited Lord Wigoder of Cheetham, QC, to be Chairman of the Health Services Board in succession to Mr. Ralph Gibson, QC, who has resigned on being appointed a judge of the High Court. I am glad to say that he has accepted.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations she has received to date concerning the possible closure of Shoreditch College at Englefield Green; and if she will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations about the possible closure of this college. Consideration of its future is a matter in the first instance for the Inner London Education Authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she last met the Committee of Vice-Chancellors; and if she will make a statement about her Department's intentions to promote better liaison between universities and industry.

My right hon. Friend and I met representatives of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals on 2nd February. Many universities, with the active support of the University Grants Committee, have developed close links with industry. For example, there are 29 industrial development or liaison units in universities in the United Kingdom. My right hon. Friend gives every support to moves to strengthen links between universities and industry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total cost of council house subsidies for the whole of the United Kingdom payable from both central and local Government funds; and how much this represents in terms of subsidy per house.

The total amount of subsidies, excluding rent rebate subsidies from both central and local Government in Great Britain in 1976–77 is estimated to be £1,170 million or £202 per dwelling.Information about housing subsidies in Northern Ireland should be obtained from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his latest discussions about Japanese seaweed with local authorities bordering the Solent and Christchurch Bay; and what steps he is recommending to cure the problem generally, and in Mudeford particularly.

In July 1975 the Department commissioned Portsmouth Polytechnic to undertake a three-year protechnic to undertake a three-year research programme on Japanese seaweed. I regret that I am not yet in a position to recommend any general means of dealing with the problem. The local authorities concerned have been kept in touch with the progress of this research through joint working parties and the Department will be writing to them about the current position in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why Bedford has more nitrate in its drinking water than other areas in the United Kingdom although nitrate fertilisers are used generally all over Great Britain.

Leaching of artificial fertilisers is only one source of nitrate. Other sources are bacteriological action in the soil and sewage effluent in the rivers. The concentration of nitrates is also dependent on intensity and distribution of rainfall, land usage patterns and the geology of the catchments. There are in fact other areas in the United Kingdom which have more nitrate in their water supplies than does Bedford.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the concentration of nitrates in water should exceed an accepted safety level, what action is open to the appropriate authority in the public interest to neutralise its injurious effects.

Water authorities in the United Kingdom usually follow the World Health Organisation's European Standards for Drinking Water. If the nitrate level in a water authority's intake exceeds the acceptable level, then the nitrate concentration is reduced by blending with water of low nitrate content. Where water supplies are known to be liable to high nitrate levels, medical officers and practitioners have been alerted and contingency plans have been prepared to supply low nitrate content water for infant feeding should the nitrate level rise to a level where this is deemed desirable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the effect of nitrates in water on various age groups in humans and its biological impact.

The only known effect of nitrates in water on humans is that a small number of cases of cyanosis in babies under six months old have been associated with high nitrate levels in the water used for preparing their feeds. The condition is reversible if the infant's feeds are subsequently made with low nitrate water. No cases were reported during the recent drought.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the processing of the returned questionnaires to his committee on remunerating local councillors will be carried out by departmental officers or by an external agency; and, if the latter, whether he will (a) name the firm involved and (b) indicate the methods by which security of the personal information involved will be maintained.

The independent Committee of Inquiry into the System of Remuneration of Members of Local Authorities commissioned this survey, which is being carried out by the Department's statisticians with support from Computer Aided Marketing Ltd. When a public contract is let the contractor is reminded that the provisions of the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1939 apply to any official information to which the staff may have access during the programme of work and to make appropriate arrangements for the physical security of the data.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will give assurances regarding the questionnaire relating to councillors' private circumstances that (a) no copies will be retained once the information is processed, (b) no information of any kind will be passed to any other Government Department in a way which identifies personal cases, (c) no records of any kind will be retained on a computer or microfilm by his department and (d) only specific, named civil servants acting as secretariat to the committee, bound by the Official Secrets Act, will be permitted to see the returned questionnaire;(2) why the questionnaire issued by his departmental committee on remunerating local councillors seeks information on

On behalf of the chairman of this independent committee I can assure the hon. Member that no copies will be retained or made; no information identifying individuals will be passed to any other Department or retained on computer or microfilm records; and copies will be destroyed as soon as the Committee has completed its work. The forms are available only to the statistical staff concerned with their analysis; all civil servants and contractors are in any case bound by the Official Secrets Act.I understand that the committee considers that the information it is seeking about councillors is a very important factor in its study of the problem of remuneration, and many of the questions were derived from the very similar survey conducted in 1964–65 by the Maud Committee on the Management of Local Government in order to obtain comparative information. Respondents' telephone numbers were requested simply in order to allow minor queries on the completed questionnaire to be dealt with quickly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) who are the members of the committee of inquiry into the system of remuneration of members of local authorities; what salary or expenses they receive for this work; and what is the size and annual cost of the Civil Service establishment serving as secretariat to this committee;(2) what is the cost to public funds of

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) on 22nd December.—[Vol. 923, c. 213.] The chairman receives a daily rate of £25 and the members £21; all receive travelling and subsistence allowances at Civil Service rates. The secretariat, consisting of one part-time and three full-time staff, would cost in a full year approximately £36,000, including all overheads. The questionnaire cost £2,000 to prepare and £1,100 to distribute, and will cost £8,000 to analyse.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why his departmental committee of inquiry into the system of remuneration of members of local authorities sent a seven-page questionnaire to Councillor L. G. Duncan of 52 Outwoods Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire; to how many other members of the Charnwood Borough Council this document was sent; and whether he will give an assurance that there is no statutory duty, or legal requirement, for any councillor to complete or return this questionnaire, and it is open to them to throw it away on receipt if they so wish.

I understand from the chairman of this independent committee that the names were selected by random interval sampling from a complete list of all councillors. Councillor Duncan was selected along with 16 other members of Charnwood Borough Council. I can assure the hon. Member that the completion of the questionnaire is entirely voluntary, but I hope councillors will feel able to respond and thereby help the Committee in its task.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment to how many local councillors document LG/HP/5, prepared by his committee of inquiry into the system of remuneration of members of local authorities, was sent; what proportion that represents of all local councillors in Great Britain; how many had failed to reply by 7th February, and were then sent document LG1/HP/5 asking them to fill up the questionnaire attached to LG/HP/5; how many have since replied; and how many replies remain outstanding.

I understand from the chairman of this independent committee that 6,500 questionnaires were sent; this is a 25 per cent. sample. 4,700 replies have been received to date. Of these 1,400 have arrived since 7th February; 1,800 are still outstanding.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to secure the repair of Laggan Lock so that the Caledonian Canal can be reopened to traffic in the summer of 1977.

Decisions about the timing and the speed with which repair work to Laggan Lock on the Caledonian Canal is carried out rest with the British Water- ways Board, since it is in the last resort responsible for the day-to-day management of its undertaking. Nevertheless, the BWB is aware of the importance we attach to quick repair of Laggan Lock and my right hon. Friend the Minister of State has asked it to review its priorities, to see whether room can be found for this work within its existing programme. No additional Exchequer grant can be paid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the housing authorities that have written to him in the past six months about polyurethane ceilings in their dwellings.

The Ashford Borough Council and the Greater London Council have written seeking financial help with the replacement of these ceilings. My Department has also been asked for general advice on these ceilings by various other authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the tests carried out by his Department on polyurethane ceiling board in the last 12 months.

No tests on polyurethane ceiling board as such have been carried out during the last 12 months. The results of earlier tests were, however, published in November 1976 as CP73/76, of which the hon. Member has a copy. Further papers in course of preparation will cover the investigation of actual fires in which such ceiling boards were involved and will relate the risks, if any, arising from their use to the risk of fire in dwellings generally.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he is satisfied that the new SI symbols are not prone to errors of conversion, particularly in the use of zombie boxes—electronic calculators—with consequent danger where high pressures are involved.

One of the reasons for adopting the world-wide system of units (SI) is to remove the problem of conversion of units which United Kingdom industry is facing now and has faced for many years. Any conversion from one system of units into another has always been a potential source of error but the use of electronic calculators probably reduces the chance of errors rather than increasing it. The SI unit for use where high pressures are involved should be carefully chosen, and preferably all high pressures should be expressed in the same SI unit and, hence, symbol. In designing new plant, there should be no necessity for conversion from SI units since the calculations should be in those units.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will now announce his proposals for the future of price control after 31st July 1977.

I am today placing in the Library of the House copies of a consultative document setting out the broad principles of a new prices policy which I hope will subsequently be embodied in legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a further statement on the implementation of defence cuts.

I have nothing to add to what I told the House on 12th January.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current defence level.

I must ask the hon. Member to await the Defence White Paper, which I hope to publish on Monday 28th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of gross domestic product was devoted to arms in 1975 and 1976 by the United Kingdom; and what is the correspond- ing average for European NATO countries.

In 1975 the United Kingdom devoted 5 per cent. of its gross domestic product—as market prices—to defence, on the NATO definition of defence spending, compared with averages of 3·8 per cent. for the European members of NATO and 4·8 per cent. for NATO as a whole. Corresponding provisional figures for 1976 are 5·1 per cent. for the United Kingdom, 3·6 per cent. for the European members of NATO and 4·7 per cent. for NATO as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of Great Britain's arms spending in real terms, after correcting costs for expected inflation, for 1975–76 and 1979–80 at 1975–76 prices.

I must ask my hon. Friend to await publication of Volume II of Cmnd. 6721.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total British arms spending in the years 1974–75 and 1975–76; what is the latest estimate for 1976–77, including Supplementary Estimates in cash terms; and what percentage of the gross national product these figures represent.

The defence budget outturn was £4,164 million in 1974–75 and £5,346 million in 1975–76. These amounts were, respectively, about 5¼ per cent. and about 5½ per cent. of gross national product at factor cost. The total of main and Supplementary Estimates published to date for the defence budget in 1976–77 is £6,232 million and is expected to be about 5½ per cent. of GNP at factor cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of standardisation in NATO.

Considerable effort is being devoted to improving both standardisation and interoperability within NATO. To complement the work of NATO's Conference of National Armaments Directors, a special Ad Hoc Committee on Equipment Interoperability was created in early 1976. Her Majesty's Government are, in addition, playing an active part in the work of the independent European Programme Group which was established to increase standardisation among the European members of the Alliance.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to review the charges for the use of Royal Air Force airfields by civil aircraft and the basis upon which such charges are calculated.

Charges for the use of RAF airfields by civil aircraft are being reviewed at present. The charges at all MOD airfields are customarily based upon those recommended by the Aerodrome Owners Association, since we consider that the facilities offered to civil aircraft at AOA airfields are most nearly comparable to those provided at MOD airfields. The Aerodrome Owners Association recently announced a change in its rates and we are now making arrangements to follow suit.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions since 1st January 1977 contact has been made between naval vessels on fisheries protection duties and foreign trawlers fishing within the 200-mile limits.