Written Answers

                    The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.
                

Written Answers To Questions

Wednesday 23rd February 1977

Prices And Consumer Protection

Consumer Councils

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection from what sources he seeks names of people for appointment to the National Consumer Council, nationalised industry consumer councils and other consumer bodies for which he is responsible.

I make appointments to a wide range of consumer protection bodies, at national and local level, and am always happy to receive names from as wide a variety of sources as possible, including both individuals and consumer and other organisations; I am particularly concerned to ensure that the less privileged sections of the community are represented. My Department would welcome information about anybody who might wish to make a contribution to the work of these bodies, for consideration when suitable vacancies arise.

Babcock And Wilcox Ltd And Herbert Morris Ltd

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection when he expects to publish the report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission into the existing and contemplated merger situation between Babcock and Wilcox Ltd. and Herbert Morris Ltd.; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend received the report on 20th January and it is being published today. The Commission was divided in its views. Three members held that a Babcock and Wilcox acquition of Herbert Morris would be contrary to the public interest in that it could endanger the satisfactory development of Herbert Morris by putting at risk the effectiveness of its management and hence its successful progress in improving productivity, developing new products for home and export markets and modernising its manufacturing plant. It would also, in their view, put at risk sales by Herbert Morris in markets served by the American Chain and Cable Company Inc.—ACCO, a subsidiary of Babcock and Wilcox—of such of its products as are similar to those made by ACCO. These adverse effects would not, in their view, be offset by the possibility of advantage to Herbert Morris from the availability of financial support from Babcock and Wilcox, from sharing in its research and development resources and from the use of its overseas representation. These members, therefore, recommended that the proposed acquisition should not be permitted. They also felt that the existing Babcock and Wilcox shareholding in Herbert Morris would enable it materially to influence the latter's policy and indeed, obtain representation on the Herbert Morris Board—which would involve the same risks as acquisition. They therefore recommended that that holding should be reduced to not more than 10 per cent; and that until such reduction Babcock and Wilcox should not exercise voting rights in respect of more than a 10 per cent. holding.In contrast, two members, including the Chairman of the Commission, held that while in recent years Herbert Morris had been a successful and enterprising company it would not suffer any prejudice from union with a group as well established, well organised and well managed as they considered Babcock and Wilcox to be. In particular, they saw no reason to doubt the strength of the future management once things had settled down: nor did they see any reason why Babcock and Wilcox should be less keen than Herbert Morris to develop sales of the latter's products in North America, through ACCO or otherwise. Moreover, they put greater weight than did their colleagues on certain technological, marketing and other advantages which Babcock and Wilsox had to offer. They, therefore, saw no ground for con eluding that either the existing or the contemplated merger situation would operate against the public interest.Where, as in this case, the reference has been considered by a group of members of the Commission, my right hon. Friend can only take action under the Act in respect of the merger or proposed merger if at least two-thirds of the members of that group have found the merger to be against the public interest. Since there is not a two-thirds majority, no action under the Act is possible in this case. Moreover, the arguments for and against the merger are finely balanced, as is evidenced by the minority report signed by the Chairman of the Commission. There are, therefore, no grounds for further intervention by my right hon. Friend, and the outcome must now be determined by those directly concerned.

Price Control (Public Instruction)

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether he will give an assurance that it is a standing instruction to all Price Commission staff that, when writing to or telephoning a retailer about a specific price increase complained about by a member of the public, the official states that (a) it is not illegal to raise a price, (b) only a very limited number of companies require to seek permission in advance for price increases, and (c) that the Commission has no power to require specific deductions without proper investigation of reference levels, service of notices and making of orders and that the official in no circumstances states or implies that the commission wishes a specific price to be lower without the proper procedures having been used first.

The Price Commission is responsible for deciding what intructions to give its staff.

Price Commission

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what is the estimated cost to public funds of the Price Commission for 1976–77.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Pudsey (Mr. Shaw) on 27th January.—[Vol. 924, c.750.]

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what consultations he proposes to have in connection with the appointment of a Chairman, Deputy Chairman and members of the board of the Price Commission on 31st July 1977.

My right hon. Friend will have the consultations necessary to enable him to select the persons best fitted for these appointments.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what was the annual cost of the headquarters and each of the 15 regional offices of the Price Commission in 1974, 1975 and 1976.

I regret that the information is not available in the form requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will give details of the increases in salaries and other benefits allowed to members of the Price Commission under the Third Interim Report of the Top Salaries Review Body.

Following the publication of the Third Report of the Top Salaries Review Body, full-time members received in 1974 an increase of £350 followed by a series of threshold payments totalling £229·68p. Part-time members received pro rata increases.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what action he has taken on the 21 reports made to him by the Price Commission referred to on page 84 of the Commission's latest report.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Melton (Mr. Latham) on 14th February.—[Vol. 926, c. 13.]

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what are the numbers of personnel employed in the Price Commission on administration, executive and clerical grades, respectively; and what is the average annual salary and pension entitlement in each grade.

I understand from the Price Commission that the total number of staff in its employ is at present 659. Subject to the overall complement agreed with the Minister for the Civil Service and to approval to certain particular posts, the composition of the Price Commission's staff is a matter for the Commission. Rates of pay and pension arrangements are based on those applying in the Civil Service.

asked the Secretary of Slate for Prices and Consumer Protection why the figures for the total cost to public funds of the Price Commission are not available for the periods ended 1st March 1974, 1975 and 1976.

Government expenditure is recorded and accounted for by financial years.

Inquiries And Questionnaires

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what steps he is taking to ensure that questionnaires and inquiries made by the Price Commission cause the minimum inconvenience to companies to which they are submitted.

The Price Commission is itself responsible for the conduct of inquries which it carries out in pursuance of its functions under the Counter Inflation Act 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what consultations he has had with the Chairman of the Price Commission about the number of forms in each of the last three years which the Price Commission has required companies to complete.

None, because, as has been explained to the hon. Member, the Price Commission is responsible for the

FIREWORK INJURIES IN GREAT BRITAIN (4-Week period in October-November)
	Year
	1976	1975	1974	1973	1972
TOTAL	685	766	927	1,249	1,324
PLACE OF ACCIDENT
1 Family or private party	277	218	272	398	454
2 Public or semi-public party	167	148	144	160	182
3 Casual incident in street etc.	160	220	290	448	443
4 Other place	56	69	94	128	100
5 Unspecified place	25	111	127	115	145
TYPE OF FIREWORK
1 Danger	159	208	237	379	391
2 Rocket	91	89	79	129	132
3 Display firework	89	119	159	294	270
4 Home-made or extracted powder	17	27	31	40	56
5 Other type of which:	119	110	159	139	140
5.1 Jumping cracker^*	—	26	43	59	53
5.2 Other flyabout	14	27	54	..	..
6 Unspecified type	210	213	262	268	335
SEVERITY OF INJURY
1 Fatal injury	—	—	—	—	—
2 Detained more than one night	50	46	78	84	96
3 Sufficient to cause absence from work or equivalent	118	96	127	188	147
4 Minor injury	486	602	683	938	1,060
5 Unspecified injury	31	22	39	39	21

conduct of the tasks which Parliament has entrusted to it.

Fireworks (Injuries)

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will now publish the firework injury statistics for 1976; and if he will make a statement.

Statistics are now available of persons who received treatment at hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales for injuries caused by fireworks during the period 17th October to 13th November 1976. There was an overall decrease in firework injuries treated by hospitals of more than 10 per cent. from the previous year, to the lowest number since these records were first kept. Statistics for comparable periods in 1972 and 1968–1969 for Scotland—show the remarkable reduction in injuries from fireworks which has been achieved over this period:

England and Wales
1968	…	…	…	2,537
1972	…	…	…	1,260
1976	…	…	…	663
Scotland
1969^*	…	…	…	90
1972	…	…	…	64
1976	…	…	…	22
(^*The first year records were kept.)

Following are the 1976 statistics, together with the figures for comparable periods in the four preceding years.

FIREWORK INJURIES IN GREAT BRITAIN (4-week period in October-November)
AGE GROUP OF INJURED PERSONS
Over 21	…	…	…	…	…	129	120	134	202	174
16–20	…	…	…	…	…	47	53	59	78	69
13–16	…	…	…	…	…	147	161	194	265	270
Under 13	…	…	…	…	…	362	432	540	704	811
^* Jumping crackers were not sold in 1976.
..=Not available.

FIREWORK INJURIES IN ENGLAND AND WALES (4-week period in October-November)
	Year
	1976	1975	1974	1973	1972
TOTAL	663	728	883	1,186	1,260
PLACE OF ACCIDENT
1 Family or private party	273	215	267	385	441
2 Public or semi-public party	161	144	137	153	166
3 Casual incident in street etc.	154	203	272	422	422
4 Other place	51	65	89	119	95
5 Unspecified place	24	101	118	107	136
TYPE OF FIREWORK
1 Banger	153	196	228	356	369
2 Rocket	85	83	70	118	129
3 Display firework	89	117	151	280	262
4 Home-made or extracted powder	17	24	29	38	54
5 Other type of which: of which:	119	107	154	137	134
5.1 Jumping cracker^*	—	26	42	58	51
5.2 Other flyabout	14	25	52	..	..
6 Unspecified type	200	201	251	257	312
SEVERITY OF INJURY
1 Fatal injury	—	—	—	—	—
2 Detained more than one night	47	43	70	80	91
3 Sufficient to cause absence from work or equivalent	112	93	121	178	143
4 Minor injury	473	572	654	892	1,009
5 Unspecified injury	31	20	38	36	17
AGE GROUP OF INJURED PERSONS
Over 21	126	114	131	195	167
16–20	47	50	58	74	68
13–16	143	152	184	248	257
Under 13	347	412	510	669	768
^*Jumping crackers were not sold in 1976.
..=Not available.

FIREWORK INJURIES IN SCOTLAND (4-week period in October-November)
	Year
	1976	1975	1974	1973	1972
TOTAL	22	38	44	63	64
PLACE OF ACCIDENT
1 Family or private party	4	3	5	13	13
2 Public or semi-public party	6	4	7	7	16
3 Casual incident in street etc.	6	17	18	26	21
4 Other place	5	4	5	9	5
5 Unspecified place	1	10	9	8	9
TYPE OF FIREWORK
1 Banger	6	12	9	23	22
2 Rocket	6	6	9	11	3
3 Display firework	—	2	8	14	8
4 Home-made or extracted powder	—	3	2	2	2
5 Other type of which:	—	3	5	2	6
5.1 Jumping cracker^*	—	—	1	1	2
5.2 Other flyabout	—	2	2	..	..
6 Unspecified type	10	12	11	11	23
SEVERITY OF INJURY
1 Fatal injury	—	—	—	—	—
2 Detained more than one night	3	3	8	4	5
3 Sufficient to cause absence from work or equivalent	6	3	6	10	4

FIREWORK INJURIES IN SCOTLAND (4-week period in October-November)
4 Minor injury	…	…	13	30	29	46	51
5 Unspecified injury	…	…	—	2	1	3	4
AGE GROUP OF INJURED PERSONS
Over 21	…	…	3	6	3	7	7
16–20	…	…	—	3	1	4	1
13–16	…	…	4	9	10	17	13
Under 13	…	…	15	20	30	35	43
^*Jumping crackers were not sold in 1976.
..=Not available.

Price Reductions

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection under what specific statutory powers the Price Commission secured the voluntary reductions in the price of 223 individual products referred to on page 35 of its quarterly report for the period 1st September to 3rd November 1976, following individual complaints on specific price increases.

Section 6 of the Counter-Inflation Act 1973 provides the Price Commission with powers to secure compliance with the Price Code. However, I understand that most firms are anxious to co-operate in observing the code and are consequently prepared to take necessary action on a voluntary basis.

Alarm Systems

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection how many complaints his Department has received from (a) Members of Parliament and (b) members of the public regarding the price of intruder alarm systems between August 1975 and August 1976.

In this particular period, four complaints were received from hon. Members and eight from members of the public.

Price Commission (Referrals)

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what are the reasons, in each case, why funeral charges, intruder alarm systems, soft drinks mixers sold in public houses, hearing aids, and call-out charges were referred to the Price Commission.

In the case of each of these matters complaints were received which indicated that more information was needed about the make up of the prices and charges concerned, and that an independent examination was necessary.

Civil Service

Scottish Cities

37.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many Civil Service jobs there are in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen, respectively.

Information is readily available only for the non-industrial Civil Service. The position in February 1977 is as follows:

City of				Number of non-industrial civil servants
Glasgow	…	…	…	12,156
Edinburgh	…	…	…	14,928
Dundee	…	…	…	980
Aberdeen	…	…	…	2,140

Patronage

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many part-time appointments were in the patronage of the Government in the years 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976; and what was the cost to the Exchequer in pay in each of these years for these appointments.

The information requested is not held centrally and could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.

Civil Servants

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the number of civil servants in post on 1st January 1977 and the reasons for any major changes since 1st October 1976; and whether he will make a statement.

On 1st January 1977 there were 746,161 staff in post—a net increase of 54 compared with 1st October 1976.The following table shows the changes that have occurred between 1st October 1976 and 1st January 1977:

Department		Increase/Decrease since 1st October 1976	Reason
Inland Revenue	…	+1,323	Primarily to cope with increases in work brought about by inflation and its effect on personal tax levels.
Employment Group	…	+1,527	To deal with increases in work due to the continuing rise in the number of unemployed and to meet the expansion of work on vocational training and health and safety inspection.
Health and Social Security	…	+731	Mainly to cope with a greater number of claims for supplementary benefits as a result of rising unemployment. Extra staff also required for preparatory work on child benefits.
Ministry of Defence	…	-2,492	Defence Review Reductions.
Other Departments	…	-1,035
Net Change	…	+54

Over the last year the growth of the Civil Service has been virtually halted—the increase since 1st January 1976 is 1,041. The overall figure covers both expansions and contractions; most of the expansion has occurred in those Departments whose workload is influenced by the effects of unemployment and inflation. I expect the numbers in these Departments to continue to increase over the next few months and, as the full effects of the reductions that we have planned for 1978–79 have not yet been felt, the total number of civil servants may even go above 750,000 for a brief period. In the course of next year, however, the planned reductions will come into effect and I expect the figures to return to their present level by the end of the year. By 1978–79, on present plans, the numbers should be below the present level and continue to fall for some time thereafter.

Home Department

Judges' Rules

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any consultations have taken place between his Department and the Judges of the Queen's Bench concerning the Judges' Rules since 28th January 1976, in particular in relation to the point relating to Administration Direction 7(a) raised by the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury Official Report, 28th January 1976, c. 547.

Following the reply given to a Question from my hon. Friend on 12th February 1976—[Vol. 905, c. 286–7.]—my Department consulted the Lord Chief Justice and issued a clarifying circular to chief officers of police in May 1976 on the particular point referred to.As my hon. Friend was told in answer to a Question on 4th March 1976—[Vol. 906, c. 676]—my Department also consulted the Lord Chief Justice about the issue of guidance on the questioning of mentally handicapped persons. A circular to chief officers of police on this subject was issued in July 1976.Copies of both circulars have been placed in the Library. I am considering the possibility of their publication.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now seek to give statutory effect to the Judges' Rules.

No, but I am prepared to consider any specific representations that may be made to me concerning police interview procedures.

Local Authority Grants (Commonwealth Immigrants)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give a breakdown of the £13,801,366 which appears under the heading A4 of programme 9·5 in Class IX Vote II of the Appropriation Accounts, Volume 2, 1975–76.

This money was paid in grants to local authorities under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966, in respect of staff specially employed because of the presence of substantial numbers of Commonwealth immigrants whose language and customs differ from those of the rest of the community. The table below gives the breakdown.A proportion of the grant claimed by a local authority is withheld pending certification of the claim by the district auditor. Consequently, the amount of grant shown in the Appropration Account includes any net balances paid on claims for prior years.

	£
Avon	174,809·00
Bedfordshire	180,535·00
Berkshire	194,905·00
Buckinghamshire	146,084·51
Cambridgeshire	8,112·09
Derbyshire	204,390·00
Gloucestershire	18,663·00
Hampshire	46,111·00
Hertfordshire	64,671·00
Kent	53,163·94
Lancashire	141,750·00
Leicestershire	932,842·25
Northamptonshire	29,420·75
Nottinghamshire	259,945·00
Oxfordshire	36,178·00
Salop	4,258·31
Suffolk	9,449·50
Warwickshire	66,156·00
West Sussex	472·00
Aylesbury Vale	193·25
North Bedford Borough Council	1,756·00
Birmingham City Council	1,279,593·50
Blackburn	9,616·03
Bolton Metropolitan District Council	90,491·00
Bradford Metropolitan District Council	641,814·58
Bristol	Nil
Calderdale Metropolitan District Council	53,530·00
Charnwood	79·06
Coventry City Council	108,249·86
Derby Borough Council	630·00
Dudley Metropolitan District Council	82,902·00
Gloucester City Council	404·00
Gravesham District Council	375·00
Ipswich	586·00
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council	253,152·23
Leeds Metropolitan District Council	167,393·70
Leicester District Council	9,391·19
Luton Borough Council	456·00
Manchester City Council	187,411·50
North Hertfordshire District Council	142·00
Northampton	102·00
Nottingham City of	1,362·00
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council	30,228·25
Oxford City Council	4,080·75
Pendle	540·00
Preston	201·00
Reading Borough Council	233·00
Rochdale Metropolitan District Council	52,711·77
Rugby	89·00
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council	110,661·00

Sheffield District Council	13,901·01
Slough Borough Council	6,411·52
Southampton District Council	9,514·91
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council	15,549·00
Trafford Borough Council	74,672·00
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council	81,976·94
Warwick District Council	2,333·00
Wellingborough	58·00
Wolverhampton Borough Council	623,977·00
Wycombe District Council	110·00
Barking	3,359·00
Barnet	193,167·22
Brent	312,854·00
Camden	18,502·69
Croydon	170,760·00
Ealing	721,441·82
Enfield	42,242·00
Greenwich	1,734·00
Hackney	54,285·93
Hammersmith	51,591·06
Haringey	544,990·00
Harrow	20,675·05
Hillingdon	2,275·00
Hounslow	55,650·12
I.L.E.A.	4,116,150·00
Islington	8,668·12
Kensington and Chelsea	1,285·87
Lambeth	7,347·00
Lewisham	78,416·00
Merton	54,668·00
Newham	263,431·00
Redbridge	51,411·00
Southwark	27,679·46
Tower Hamlets	20,838·25
Waltham Forest	308,074·66
Wandsworth	16,022·30
Westminster	47,051·00
Total	13,801,365·95

Television Licences

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider changing the regulations in order to allow the refund of the unexpired portion of a television licence in the event of the holder dying with more than four months of the licence unexpired.

No. The grounds on which refunds may be given must be limited if the licensing system is not to become unmanageable and excessively expensive.

Shotgun Certificates

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for shotgun certificates were accepted and rejected in each of the last five years.

I regret that information is not available in the form requested. There were 715,453 shotgun certificates in force in England and Wales on 31st December 1971 and 766,952 on 31st December 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed on considering applications for shotgun certificates: and what is the average length of time taken to process each application.

People are not separately employed by police authorities to consider shotgun applications. The average time taken to process each application in each force could not be calculated without disproportionate effort.

Television (Wales)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is proposed to implement the recommendations of the Crawford Committee to introduce a Welsh television channel: and if he will make a further statement.

I hope to make a statement shortly about the possible use of the fourth television channel in Wales for Welsh language programmes.

Messrs Agee And Hosenball

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost to public funds of the investigation into the activities of Messrs. Agee and Hosenball.

It would involve a disproportionate effort to ascertain what these cases have cost to date.

Illegitimacy

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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.

Section 14(2)and (4) of the Guardianship of Minors Act 1971 precludes the parent of an illegitimate child from obtaining maintenance for the child in guardianship proceedings. The mother can, however, obtain maintenance from the father, on proof of his paternity, under the Affiliation Proceedings Act 1957, as amended. Before ordering maintenance for an illegitimate child in matrimonial proceedings the court is required by Section 2(5) of the Matrimonial Proceedings Act 1960 to have regard to the extent to which the party to the marriage has assumed responsibility for the child. There is a minor difference in treatment in Section 34(3) and Section 45 of the Children Act 1975, which are not yet in force. Under the British Nationality Act 1948, as amended, an illegitimate child cannot acquire citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies by descent unless subsequently legitimated. By virtue of Section 2(3)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971 patriality cannot be claimed through the paternal line unless descent is legitimate.

Crime

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what percentage of cases of people brought before the courts on charges of shoplifting, in each of the last five years, the defendant was appearing before a court for the first time; and what was the equivalent percentage, over the same period of time, for people appearing before courts on charges of theft, assault, grievous bodily harm, or arson.

Information in the form requested is not readily available. The following information is based on an analysis of a sample of persons convicted in 1971:

Proportion of persons convicted of certain offences in 1971 who had no previous conviction in the period 1963–70.
England and Wales
Offence	Percentage
Shoplifting	62
Theft (other than shoplifting) and handling stolen goods	50
Violence against the person	44

Shoplifting

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he attributes the increase in shoplifting from food supermarkets to trading methods or other causes.

The Home Office criminal statistics do not record separately the amount of shoplifting from food supermarkets, nor would I wish to speculate as to the causes of any increase.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken, in the last 12 months, to implement the recommendations of his Department's working party's report on shoplifting, particularly the recommendation on methods of prevention.

Action to implement the working party's recommendations on ways of preventing shoplifting is a matter for individual retailers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the

	Magistrates' courts pleading not guilty				The Crown Court Pleading not guilty
Shoplifting	Number of persons pleading guilty or not guilty	Number convicted	Number acquitted	Percentage pleading not guilty who were acquitted	Number of persons pleading guilty or not guilty	Number convicted	Number acquitted	Percentage pleading not guilty who were acquitted
Under £5…	45,093	2,362	2,579	52	1,232	386	515	57
£5 and over	22,277	669	57	50	1,141	302	185	38

Figures are, however, available for 1975 and earlier years showing the total number of persons dealt with for shoplifting offences—including those who pleaded guilty—and the total number acquitted. These are given in the following tables, which exclude certain persons

PERSONS DEALT WITH SUMMARILY AT MAGISTRATES' COURTS FOR OFFENCES OF SHOPLIFTING—BY RESULT ENGLAND AND WALES
							Persons (000's)
			Convicted		Acquitted		Total
				Per cent.		Per cent.
1966	…	…	29·44	97	1·02	3	30·46
1967	…	…	30·98	96	1·29	4	32·27
1968	…	…	32·40	96	1·35	4	33·75
1969	…	…	37·53	96	1·57	4	39·10
1970	…	…	40·11	96	1·85	4	41·96
1971	…	…	43·59	95	2·10	5	45·69
1972	…	…	45·04	95	2·31	5	47·35
1973	…	…	44·37	95	2·22	5	46·59
1974	…	…	55·49	95	2·85	5	58·34
1975	…	…	63·91	95	3·24	5	67·15

PERSONS COMMITTED FOR TRIAL AT THE CROWN COURT FOR OFFENCES OF SHOPLIFTING—BY RESULT ENGLAND AND WALES
							Persons(000's)
			Convicted		Acquitted		Total
				Per cent.		Per cent.
1966	…	…	0·18	64	0·10	36	0·28
1967	…	…	0·19	67	0·09	33	0·29
1968	…	…	0·28	70	0·12	30	0·40
1969	…	…	0·36	64	0·20	36	0·56
1970	…	…	0·48	68	0·22	32	0·70
1971	…	…	0·66	67	0·32	33	0·98
1972	…	…	0·88	68	0·42	32	1·29
1973	…	…	0·93	64	0·53	36	1·45
1974	…	…	1·17	68	0·56	32	1·72
1975	…	…	1·65	69	0·74	31	2·39

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now categorise separately in the statistics kept

total number of shoplifting cases, for each of the last 10 years, which were tried ( a) before magistrates' courts and ( b) before juries; and if he will list, for the two categories, for each year, the total numbers convicted and acquitted and the numbers, in each case, convicted and acquitted expressed as a percentage of the total number of cases brought.

Figures showing the number of persons pleading not guilty to shoplifting who were convicted or acquitted are available for 1975, but not for earlier years. These are as follows:dealt with for shoplifting offences—including those who pleaded guilty—and the total number acquitted. These are given in the following tables, which exclude certain persons whose trial did not reach the plea stage:by his Department figures for (

a) shoplifting from supermarkets and ( b) shoplifting from stores with serving staff.

No. As the hon. Member has previously been told, the extra burden on the police of collecting more detailed statistics could not be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received against the proposals in the Criminal Justice Bill, that people accused of shoplifting should be denied the right to trial by jury.

About a dozen letters have been received since the Criminal Law Bill was published objecting to the proposal in the Bill—which has now been removed by an amendment at Committee Stage in another place—that thefts of property not exceeding £20 in value should be triable only in magistrates' courts. These representations, for the most part, did not, however, relate to shoplifting in particular.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications from victims of criminal assault were received by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board from each police area in England and Wales in the years 1974, 1975 and 1976.

The board does not make a separate record of the areas from which applications are made and the information could not be obtained without disproportionate expense.

Malawi Asians

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Government aid, financial or otherwise, it is proposed to give to local councils which have to accept responsibility for accommodating Malawi Asian refugees.

Financial assistance to local authorities from central Government already takes account of housing pressures and needs. I see no reason for special additional assistance in the circumstances the hon. Member has mentioned.

Animals (Experiments)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will refuse licences for experiments on animals in cases of applications from cosmetic firms, in view of the evidence supplied to him by the hon. Member for Putney showing that some firms manage production without such experiments.

The Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 provides for licences to be issued to persons thought by the Secretary of State to be qualified to perform experiments under the Act. It does not empower my right hon. Friend to refuse licences on the basis suggested by the hon. Member.

Trade

Copper (Imports)

38.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how much copper in tons was exported from Angola in 1974, 1975 and 1976 to the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

No copper of Angolan origin was imported. The level of transhipments through Angola is not known.

Air Travel Reserve Fund

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied that the existing Air Travel Reserve Fund provides sufficient protection for holidaymakers; and if he is further satisfied that the conditions and guarantees of the fund are clearly enough known to the holidaymaker.

As announced at the time when it was established, the fund is designed to supplement protection given under the Civil Aviation Authority's bonding arrangements for certain bookings by air. It does not cover other arrangements by holidaymakers in this country or overseas. The conditions and extent of protection are clearly stated in a special pamphlet prepared for holidaymakers—Improved Protection for Air Travel Bookings, ATRF-1—available through retail outlets of the travel trade, citizens advice bureaux and trading standards offices.

Textiles (Imports)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will set out, on an annual basis over the last 10 years, the level of imports, by volume, of textile products, including jute products; and if he will give, from international sources available to him, comparable figures for France.

Following is the available information for yarn, fabrics and made-up articles including clothing:

		United Kingdom		France
		Thousand metric tons^*	£ million cif	Thousand metric tons
1967	…		262	188
1968	…		336	225
1969	…		358	308
1970	…		380	283
1971	…		496	340
1972	…		578	427
1973	…		827	498
1974	…	515	1,069	519
1975	…	502	1,161	524
1976	…	570	1,561	n.a.
^*Quantity information is not available before 1974

Source:: United kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics and OECD Statistics of Foreign Trade, Series C.

Imports

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list in the Official Report the value of imported food, beverages, tobacco, fuel and basic industrial raw materials as a percentage of the visible import bill for each year since 1970.

The figures are:

IMPORTS OF FOOD, BEVERAGES, TOBACCO, FUELS AND BASIC INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIALS AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL IMPORTS
(Balance of Payments Basis)
					Percentages
1970	…	…	…	…	46·2
1971	…	…	…	…	46·1
1972	…	…	…	…	42·5
1973	…	…	…	…	40·7
1974	…	…	…	…	46·2
1975	…	…	…	…	44·8
1976	…	…	…	…	45^*
^* Provisional estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will list in the Official Report the value of imports, minus food, beverages, tobacco, fuels and basic industrial raw materials, as a percentage of gross domestic product for each year since 1970;(2) if he will list in the

Official Report the value of imports as a percentage of gross domestic product for each year since 1970.

The figures are:

IMPORTS AS A PERCENTAGE OF GDP AT FACTOR COST
		Total imports(Balance of Payments Basis)	Total imports minus food, beverages, tobacco, fuels and basic materials (Balance of Payments Basis)
			Percentage
1970	…	18·2	9·8
1971	…	17·4	9·4
1972	…	17·9	10·3
1973	…	22·2	13·2
1974	…	28·7	15·5
1975	…	23·6	13·0
1976	…	26·0^*	15·0^*
^*Provisional estimate.

Companies Registration Office

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the total annual cost of running the Companies Registration Office in Cardiff.

The total estimated cost of the operation of Companies Registration Office in the calendar year 1976 is £8·7 million, of which £3·4 million is attributed to the Cardiff office. These figures relate to a period of transition and do not reflect the long-term relationship between the costs of the Cardiff and London offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many people are employed at the Companies Registration Office in Cardiff; and how many are employed at each grade.

701 staff were employed at Companies Registration Office, Cardiff on 14th February, as follows:

Registrar	…	…	16
Senior Principal	…	…	1
Principal	…	…	2
Senior Executive Officers	…	…	5
Higher Executive Officers	…	…	16
Executive Officers	…	…	56
Clerical Officers	…	…	235
Clerical Assistant	…	…	205
Paperkeeping Grades	…	…	49
Messengerial Grades	…	…	28
Photoprinting Grades	…	…	74
Typing Grades	…	…	18
Telephonists	…	…	4
Data Processors	…	…	7

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the average delay in the opening of letters containing forms concerning registration at the Companies Registration Office in Cardiff.

At present, there is an initial delay of five working days in dealing with incoming mail unless the envelope indicates urgency. This delay, which has occurred since late December, results mainly from a seasonal increase in activity and is being eliminated by overtime working.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the average length of time taken by the Companies Registration Office to provide a registration number enabling companies to begin trading.

The average time required to complete the process of incorporation is 16 working days, which comprises five days for provisional name approval and 11 days for document examination and formal incorporation. This is comparable with the average time required when the work was done in London, despite a significant increase in the rate of company formation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied with the efficiency of the Companies Registration Office now that it has moved to Cardiff; and if he will make a statement.

The transfer of most of the work of Companies Registration Office to Cardiff, which began in April 1976, is now almost complete. Arrangements for the staged transfer of the records of 670,000 companies and for dealing with just under 5,000 additional statutory documents each day, concurrently with the introduction of a microfiche search system, have inevitably been complex; nevertheless I believe that inconvenience to the public has been kept to the minimum and that efficiency of the service will be improved as a result of the move.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish in the Official Report a breakdown of the amounts and sources of finance for the Companies Registration Office in Cardiff for the latest available annual period.

Total receipts for Companies Registration Office in the Calendar year 1976 amounted to £12·3 million, of which fees for incorporation accounted for £2·7 million, for change of name £0·5 million and for annual returns £8·9 million. It is not practicable to provide separate figures for that part of the operation that is carried out in Cardiff.

Court Line

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he expects to receive the second report of the inspectors appointed under Section 165 of the Companies Act to investigate the affairs of Court Line Limited.

The inspectors, who are now in the concluding stages of the inquiry, expect to submit their report within the next few months.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Nitrates In Water

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the build-up of excessive nitrates in water is detrimental to livestock and poultry.

Very high levels of nitrates in drinking water could be harmful to livestock and poultry, but there is no reason to believe that levels commonly found are detrimental. No cases of nitrate poisoning in livestock or poultry due to normal farm water supplies have come to the attention of my Veterinary Service in the past year.

Statutory Instruments

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the number of instruments signed by him and his predecessor and not debated by the House since March 1974.

Since March 1974 the number of statutory instruments signed by myself and my predecessor, but not debated, is 224. This figure includes instruments also signed by other Ministers but excludes those signed by myself and my predecessor for which other Ministers were primarily responsible.

Fishing Limits

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement regarding progress made to date with the enforcement of the Fisheries Limits Act; and if he will list those countries which have accepted agreements for fishing within these limits.

My right hon. Friend and I are satisfied with the progress made in enforcing the provisions of the Fishery Limits Act 1976, but negotiations are still continuing about the longer-term arrangements for fishing by other countries within United Kingdom limits and the limits of other EEC member States.

WELSH AFFAIRS DEBATES ON THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE, ALL OF WHICH AROSE ON A MOTION FOR THE ADJOURNMENT
Session				Date	Session				Date
1966–67	…	…	…	Nil	1972–73	…	…	…	19th December 1972
1967–68	…	…	…	30th November 1967	1973–74	…	…	…	Nil
1968–69	…	…	…	Nil	1974	…	…	…	21st March 1974
1969–70	…	…	…	Nil	1974–75	…	…	…	23rd October 1975 and 12th November 1975
1970–71	…	…	…	10th June 1971
1971–72	…	…	…	Nil	1975–76	…	…	…	5th November 1976

DEBATES IN THE WELSH GRAND COMMITTEE
Session			Date			Subject
1966–67	…	…	6th July 1966	…	…	Industry
			7th December 1966	…	…	Education
			15th March 1967	…	…	Rural Development
			28th June 1967	…	…	Roads and Communications
1967–68	…	…	3rd April 1968	…	…	Agriculture
			29th May 1968	…	…	Primary Education
1968–69	…	…	11th December 1968	…	…	Government Proposals for local government reorganisation in Wales
			14th May 1969	…	…	Health and Welfare Services
1969–70	…	…	21st January 1970	…	…	Housing
			25th February 1970	…	…	The Welsh Language
			13th May 1970	…	…	Local government reorganisation in Glamorgan and Monmouthshire
1970–71	…	…	9th December 1970	…	…	Effect of Chancellor of the Exchequer's Statement on the Welsh Economy
			20th January 1971	…	…	Local government reorganisation in Wales and Monmonthshrire
			10th March 1971	…	…	South Wales Ports
			28th April 1971	…	…	Economic Situation Wales and Monmouthshire
			13th July 1971	…	…	Reform of Local Government in Wales
			28th July 1971	…	…	National Health Service reorganisation in Wales
1971–72	…	…	15th December1971	…	…	Communications in Wales
			23rd February 1972	…	…	Communications; Coal and Steel
			10th May 1972	…	…	Housing
			14th June 1972	…	…	Radio and Television in Wales
			19th July 1972	…	…	Environmental Pollution
1972–73	…	…	21st November 1972	…	…	National Health Service reorganisation in Wales
			23rd February 1973	…	…	Bilingual Traffic Signs
			28th March 1973	…	…	Unemployment
			16th May 1973	…	…	The Handicapped
			4th July 1973	…	…	The Steel Industry
1973–74	…	…	5th December 1973	…	…	Education
1974	…	…	8th May 1974	…	…	Housing
			19th June 1974	…	…	Agriculture and Rural Affairs
1974–75	…	…	4th December 1974	…	…	Industry and Employment
			5th February 1975	…	…	The Environment in Wales
			7th May 1975	…	…	The Economy of Wales
			11th June 1975	…	…	Education
			16th July 1975	…	…	Energy Industries
1975–76	…	…	21st January 1976	…	…	The Economy in Wales
			10th March 1976	…	…	Housing
			6th July 1976	…	…	Development of Rural Wales Bill

House Of Commons

Welsh Affairs

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will list in the Official Report the number of debates on Welsh Affairs and debates on instruments solely relevant to Wales, respectively, in each Session of Parliament from 1966 to November 1976.

The information is set out below:

The instruments solely relevant to Wales which were debated between January 1966 and November 1967 were the Welsh Rural Development Board Order 1969, which was debated on 19th January 1970, and the Welsh National Water Development Authority Establishment and Constitution Order 1973, which was debated on 24th July 1973. These debates took place on the Floor of the House.

Transport

Road Accidents

36.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made in the increase in injury accidents that will occur during the current year as a result of the cut-back in road maintenance.

None. Local authorities have been advised that maintenance operations affecting road safety should be substantially unchanged. I expect the effect of the cuts to be chiefly perceptible

		Passenger Fares	Freight	Parcels
1974	…	12½ per cent. (June)	15 per cent. (June)	12½per cent. (June)
			10 per cent. (October)	12½ per cent. (December)
1975	…	12½ per cent. (January)	12½per cent. (April)	13 per cent. (July)
		15 per cent. (May)	15 per cent. (October)
		15 per cent. (September)
1976	…	12 per cent. (March)	7½per cent. (April)	12½per cent. (January)
			8 per cent. (October)	15 per cent. (June)
1977	…	12½per cent. (January)

The British Railways Board has stated that it has notified the Price Commission that parcels prices are to be raised by an average of 15½ per cent. with effect from 27th March.

Radioactive Material

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will indicate, under the special scheme called the National Arrangements for Incidents involving Radioactivity, the distance of the residence of the radioactive expert residing in the Newcastle area from Newcastle Central Station and his availability; what arrangements have been made to relieve this expert for holidays and sickness; and what is the distance from Newcastle Central Station of the relief expert's residence, and his availability.

Under the National Arrangements for Incidents involving in reduced riding quality, footway maintenance and overall appearance.

Driving Tests (Dundee)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average waiting time for driving tests at the Dundee centre.

Between 15th October 1976 and 14th January 1977 the waiting period had been reduced from six months to 16 weeks. The recent bad weather has, however, caused a number of tests to be cancelled, and the average waiting time is at present 17 weeks.

Railways (Charges)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many price increases have been imposed or contemplated and announced by British Railways since January 1974 and up to June 1977, in percentage terms.

British Railways have made the following increases from January 1974 to date.Radioactivity (NAIR) assistance is provided in two stages. The first stage enables the police to call upon experienced personnel who can advise them on appropriate action in the event of an incident and the second provides more sophisticated resources should these be necessary.In the Newcastle area first-stage assistance is provided by a team of hospital physicists skilled in radioactivity operating from the Royal Victoria Infirmary and the Newcastle General Hospital which are both located within 1½ miles of the Central Station. At night, members of the team are available on call from their homes which are situated within a radius of 10 miles of the hospitals.Similar arrangements apply for the second-stage assistance, which is provided by the Central Electricity Generating Board power station at Hartlepool. A team of radiological experts with specialist equipment and instruments is available on 24-hour call.The existence of such teams operating in this way ensures that expert assistance is always available even during holiday periods and in the event of sickness of individuals.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state the number of flasks for the conveyance of irradiated fuel in current use by (a) British Railways and (b) road haulage.

There are approximately 100 flasks currently available for use for the conveyance of irradiated fuel. The flasks are designed to be carried by road or rail and the mode of transport selected is dictated by the starting and destination points of individual journeys. Many flask movements involve transport by both modes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the period of time which elapses between the issue of a certificate to the designers of flasks for the conveyance of irradiated fuel and the actual re-examination of the flask after it has been in use to ascertain that it still complies with the regulations required for the certificate of approval.

Before each movement each flask has to be examined or tested to ensure that it is properly closed.Comprehensive periodic inspections, as detailed in the maintenance schedules approved by the competent authority, are carried out, normally at yearly intervals.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many certificates have been issued by his Department to designers of flasks for the conveyance of irradiated nuclear fuel; of the number of certificates issued, how many have been issued to (a) United Kingdom based manufacturers and (b) non-United Kingdom manufacturers, broken down by country of origin; and if he will list the approved firms by name.

There are 21 basic flask designs of British origin so far approved. These flasks are designed, owned and operated by either the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, British Nuclear Fuels Ltd, Nuclear Transport Ltd, the Central Electricity Generating Board, South of Scotland Electricity Board or Rolls-Royce Associates, for the Ministry of Defence.Of the foreign designs in use, four originate in France and one in the USA These will have been approved by the competent authority for those countries and subsequently validated by the United Kingdom competent authority for all modes of transport.All of the basic designs will have an associated flask design approval certificate. However, additional certification is required if the type of contents changes or there are variations in the internal packaging.

M3 (Inquiry)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total cost to public funds of providing the information and assistance requested by the M3 Joint Action Group in preparing and presenting its objections to the motorway and its alternative scheme.

I regret that the detailed information required to estimate the total cost to public funds is not readily available. It would require a disproportionate amount of work to obtain it.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the approximate total cost to public funds of the current M3 motorway inquiry.

I refer the hon. and gallant Member to my hon. Friend's reply present rate relief provision in the light of [Vol. 925, col. 177.]

Environment

Disabled Persons

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the reasons for the delay in making a statement on the implications of the Vandyke v. Oliver judgment for disabled people which was promised last summer.

The delay has arisen from legal problems of interpreting the present rate relief provision in the light of the judgments on the Vandyke case and a comparable Scottish case.

Office Building (Havering)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications for office development permits have been received for developments in the London borough of Havering for each year since January 1973 to date; and how many have been refused.

Decisions on applications for permits between 1973 and 1976 were as follows:

			Approvals	Refusals
1973	…	…	3	4
1974	…	…	3	4
1975	…	…	4^*	4^*
1976	…	…	4^*	4^*
^* Figures for individual years have been combined in order to avoid the risk of disclosing details of individual applications.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated loss of potential jobs resulting from the refusal to issue office development permits for developments in the London borough of Havering from 1st January 1973 to date.

The issue of an office development permit does not always lead to planning permission being granted or to new offices being built, but if all the developments refused permits between 1973 and 1976 had been approved and had resulted in new building about 5,000 staff could have been accommodated in them.

Percentage by weight
					Forties	Arabian Light	Iranian Heavy	Arabian Heavy
Light distillate^*	…	…	…	…	20	17	16	14
Middle distillate	…	…	…	…	35	35	31	26
Residual	…	…	…	…	45	48	53	60
^* Includes gases.

Data published so far suggests that yield patterns for Ekofisk and Piper crudes would be similar to Forties but with slightly less middle distillate and more light distillate. Most North Sea crudes are low in sulphur, and this will be reflected particularly in the sulphur contents of their residual fuel oil and middle distillate products.

Fuel Bills

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has any plans to assist pensioners with payment

Statutory Instruments

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the number of instruments signed by him and his predecessor since March 1974 and not debated in the House.

Between 1st March 1974 and 18th February 1977 216 of the Statutory Instruments held in this Department were signed by my predecessor or myself—either solely or jointly with another Minister or Ministers—and not debated either on the Floor of the House or in Standing Committee. This figure does not include instruments that my predecessor or myself authorised someone else to sign on our behalf.

Energy

North Sea Oil (Product Yields)

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will assess the product breakdown of a barrel of crude oil from the following fields: (a) Piper, (b) Forties and (c) Ekofisk; and if he will compare the yields with those from Iran Heavy 31° API, Saudi Arabian Heavy 27° API and Light 34°

Product yields will depend on the refining processes used. Approximate yields from basic distillation, net of fuel and loss, would be:of fuel bills whose means of heating is by gas; and if he will make a statement as to why he differentiates between gas and electric users.

We confined financial assistance this winter to electricity bills because almost everyone uses this fuel, and we thought it right to concentrate help in the area where it would be most effective. The recently published code of practice on payment of bills is, however, applicable equally to gas and to electricity consumers, as are social security benefits and heating addition payments where appropriate.

Research

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what alternatives to the conventional sources of energy in the United Kingdom his Department is currently assessing; and what is estimated to be the cost for each project during the next year.

My Department has announced a £1·01 million, two-year programme on wave energy, a three-year programme on geothermal energy totalling £0·84 million, and a four-year programme on solar energy totalling £3·6 million. Assessment studies are proceeding on wind energy and tidal energy. New programmes will be drawn up as technological options are revealed by the research and studies under way.

Derv Consumption (Northern Ireland)

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the estimated volume of agricultural diesel and commercial diesel fuel used in Northern Ireland during the past five years.

I regret that information about the use of gas diesel oil specifically for agricultural and commercial purposes is not available. The following information relates to deliveries in Northern Ireland of Derv, used mainly in road vehicles subject to vehicle excise duty, and other gas diesel oil, used mainly in vehicles—e.g., locomotives, tractors and earth-moving equipment not subject to vehicle excise duty, in furnaces and stationary engines etc.

(Thousand tonnes)
		Gas/diesel oil
		Derv fuel	Other	Total
1972	…	105	353	458
1973	…	113	412	525
1974	…	105	388	493
1975	…	117	369	486
1976^*	…	124	415	539
^* Provisional.

Gas Prices

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many price increases have been imposed or contemplated announced by gas boards from January 1974 up to June 1977, in percentage terms.

Tariff increases since January 1974 to date are as follows:

		Average percentage increase
Domestic
January 1974	…	7·5
January 1975	…	12
October 1975	…	20
October 1976	…	12
Non-domestic
January 1974	…	7·5
September 1974	…	21
October 1975	…	21
October 1976	…	13

The details of the forthcoming increase which will take effect from 1st April has still to be agreed, but I expect the overall average increase to be of the order of 10 per cent.

Coal Prices

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many price increases have been imposed or contemplated and announced by the National Coal Board since January 1974 and up to June 1977, in percentage terms.

Price increases since January 1974 are as follows:

		Average percentage increase
Domestic^*
November 1974	…	27½
January 1975	…	3 (Smokeless fuel only)
April 1975	…	12
October 1975	…	8
January 1976	…	4 (Smokeless fuel only)
April 1976	…	11
October 1976	…	10
Industrial
April 1974	…	48 (Yorkshire and Midlands)
		28 (Other areas)
October 1974	…	28
March 1975	…	30
March 1976	…	15
^*NCB's price to coal merchants.

NCB has just announced price increases of 15 per cent on industrial coal from 1st March and 15 per cent. on both house coal and smokeless fuels from 1st April. In the case of house coal this will be fully rebated until 30th September and in the case of the Board's smokeless fuels, two-thirds of the price increase will be rebated until 30th September.

Electricity Prices

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many price increases have been imposed or contemplated and announced by the electricity supply boards since January 1974 up to June 1977, in percentage terms.

Details of the various tariff increases by the 12 area boards in England and Wales are contained in their annual reports. The average basic tariff increases for domestic and industrial consumers announced since the beginning of 1974 were:

Date of introduction		Domestic tariffs Per cent.	Industrial tariffs Per cent
1st August 1974	…	—	5
1st April 1975	…	28½	7½
1st April 1976	…	11	7

In addition there were fuel cost adjustment increases throughout the period so the total tariff increases in each financial year—i.e., including the basic increases were as follows:

CUMULATIVE INCREASE IN TARIFFS DURING EACH YEAR
Financial year	Domestic Per cent.	Industrial Per cent.
1974–75	37	29
1975–76	39	17
1976–77 (to February 1977)	17½	15½

The area boards have notified the Price Commission of their proposals to increase basic tariffs by an average of 4½ per cent. from 1st April 1977.

£ million
		1973–74	1974–75	1975–76
Electricity Council and boards (England and Wales)	…	–176·3	–257·6	8·5
British Gas Corporation	…	–41·3	–44·2	25·1
National Coal Board	…	–130·7	—	5·3

Education And Science

Teacher Training

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish in the Official Report the statistical basis for her statement, Official Report, 24th January, column 974, that the provision of higher education in the North is not out of line with that in other parts of the country.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 21st February —[Vol. 926, c. 473–5.]

Oil Rig (Government Order)

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement on the Government-assisted purchase by the British National Oil Corporation of a drilling rig from the Marathon Shipbuilding Company (UK) Limited.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he intended giving a specific direction to BNOC to place an order for a new class Rig 385 deep water jacket so as to maintain work at Marathon's yard in Clydebank before the corporation found a buyer for the rig; and what would be the estimated cost.

A statement on the BNOC purchase of a jack-up rig from Marathon will be issued in due course.

Coal, Gas And Electricity Boards (Profit And Loss)

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the yearly profit or loss of the electricity supply boards, the Gas Board and the Coal Board for the years 1974 to 1976.

The profits/losses, after interest but before Government compensation for price restraint, of the electricity boards (England and Wales), British Gas Corporation and the National Coal Board for the financial years 1973–74, 1974–75 and 1975–76 are as follows:

Youth Service Forum

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many associations are represented on the Youth Service Forum; and whether any officials from the Sports Council or the Central Council for Physical Recreation have been invited to assist.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why there is no representation of sports organisations on the recently announced Youth Service Forum for England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Thirteen organisations are represented on the forum. They do not include the Sports Council or the Central Council for Physical Recreation, since neither is a Youth Service organisation. But my right hon. Friend is currently considering the recommendation made by the forum at its first meeting that she should make an appointment to represent the interests of sport and recreation.

Teacher-Pupil Ratios (Avon)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the pupil-teacher ratios in the infant, primary and secondary schools, respectively, in the Avon County Council area.

In January 1976, the latest date for which information is available, the ratios in maintained schools in Avon were as follows:

Pupil-teacher ratio
Infants Schools	22·9
Other Primary Schools	25·2
All Primary Schools (including Infants)	24·6
Secondary Schools	16·8

London University

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of the professional staff at Stockwell College of Education are recognised teachers of the University of London; and what is the average percentage for staffs of other training colleges attached to the University of London.

I am informed by the university that the percentages are 39 and 27, respectively.

Comprehensive Schools (Gloucester)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what will be the approximate cost to central and local Government funds of the completion of the changeover to comprehensive education in the city of Gloucester.

On 17th January my right hon. Friend wrote to the Gloucestershire and Hereford Local Education Authority requiring it, under Section 2 of the Education Act 1976, to submit within six months plans for the reorganisation of secondary education in the City of Gloucester. Until satisfactory plans have been submitted no estimate of the cost can be made.

Schoolchildren (Costs)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the average cost in 1975–76 and the average estimated cost in 1976–77 of educating a child of (a) primary school and (b) secondary school age in England and Wales.

In the financial year 1975–76 the net institutional recurrent costs per pupil in primary and secondary schools were £263 and £404, respectively, at 1976 Survey prices. The estimated figures for the current financial year, at the same price level, are £269 and £398.

Gloucester College Of Education

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what will be the saving in central and local government expenditure over the next five years as a result of the closure of the Gloucestershire College of Education.

The effect of the proposal to cease teacher training at this college will depend upon factors such as the future use of the premises and the employment of the staff and cannot be forecast.

Social Services

Day Centres

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many day centre places would be needed to meet existing DHSS guidelines for provision for 1,000 population;(2) how many local authorities in England and Wales have a level of day centre provision equal to, or in excess of, that suggested by the DHSS guidelines; and if he will list them.

The guideline planning figure for day centre places for the mentally ill is 0·;6 places per 1,000 population. Using the mid-1975 population estimates this would require a total of 29,500 places in England and Wales. The provisional total of available places at 31st March 1976 was 5,200. At the same date, three local authorities in England and Wales had met or exceeded the suggested guideline, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Newham London boroughs. However, I wish to emphasise the tentative and general nature of these guidelines. The level of need can only be fully determined locally.For mental handicap, the comparable figure is 1·5 per 1,000 total population, or 74,000 places in England and Wales using mid-1975 population figures. The provisional total of available places at 31st March 1976 was 38,982. The planning figures in this case are drawn from those in the 1971 White Paper "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped" which set targets to be achieved over a period of about 20 years. It was left to each authority to work out its own programme and no timetable was set by which individual progress could be judged year by year.As regard the elderly, I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Thomas) on 31st January.—[Vol. 925, c.

28–9]

In view of the wide variety of categories of physically handicapped people, my Department has not attempted to formulate guideline figures for this group.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many local authorities in England and Wales have no day centre provision for the physically handicapped; if he will list them; and if he will consider giving guidance about minimum standards of provision to those authorities which offer no provision at present;(2) how many day centre places there are in England and Wales available for use by the physically handicapped.

At 31st March 1976, the following authorities were reported as having no day centres exclusively for physically handicapped people below pensionable age, which I presume my hon. Friend has in mind:

ENGLAND

^* Barnsley
^* Bedfordshire
^* Birmingham
^* Bromley
^* Buckinghamshire

City of London
^* Cumbria
^* Doncaster
^* Ealing
^* East Sussex
^* Gateshead
^* Greenwich
^* Hammersmith
^* Hertfordshire
Isle of Wight
^* Islington
^* Kensington
^* Kirklees
Knowsley
^* Manchester
^* Merton
^* Northumberland
^* North Yorkshire
^* Oldham
^* Oxfordshire
Richmond-upon-Thames
^* Rotherham
Salop
Scilly (Isles of)
Sefton
Solihull
^* Sutton
Tameside
Trafford
^* Wakefield
^* Walsall

WALES

^* Dyfed
^* Gwent
^* Gwynedd
Powys
West Glamorgan

The authorities shown with an asterisk provide places in mixed day centres, some of which were no doubt used by physically handicapped people among others.

At the same date, the provisional number of places in day centres for physically handicapped people below pensionable age in England and Wales was 8,633. The number of places in mixed day centres was 12,971, of which an unknown proportion would have been used by physically handicapped people. Both figures are provisional.

I shall consider my hon. Friend's suggestion about drawing the attention of authorities without day centres to this form of provision. He will appreciate, however, that the decision must depend on local priorities and the overall pattern of services.

Giro Cheques

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether it is the invariable policy of his Department to check the person in social security when that person claims that a Giro cheque has gone missing in the post, before issuing another Giro cheque for the same amount and same person; and, if not, under what circumstances a check is not made.

I assume that the hon. Member wishes to know whether Giro cheques are ever replaced without Some inquiry into the circumstances of the claimant or of the alleged non-receipt. The answer is "No".

North-Western Regional Health Authority

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what criteria he adopts in allocating resources to the North-Western Regional Health Authority;(2) whether he is satisfied with the share of National Health Service resources allocated to the North-Western Regional Health Authority;(3) what representations he has received from the North-Western Regional Health Authority about its share of National Health Service resources.

Allocations to regions in England for 1977–78, within the funds available nationally, are being made following broadly the principles recommended by the Resource Allocation Working Party, as a move towards a fairer distribution of financial resources in relation to health care needs.I recognise that the North Western Region is underprovided with financial resources, and the allocation made to it for 1977–78 represents the highest rate of growth in real terms in the revenue resources available to any region.The regional health authority has welcomed the recommendations of the working party for securing a fairer distribution of resources.

Children Act 1975 (Custodianship Provisions)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the cost of implementing the custodianship provisions of the Children Act 1975; how many staff would be required; and when he expects to be able to set a date for implementation.

Any additional cost incurred when these provisions are implemented will depend on the use made of them. It will fall mainly on local authorities. The timing is one of the matters on which, as I said in reply to the hon. Member on 10th February—[Vol. 925, c. 840–1]—I hope shortly to consult the local authority associations.

Dental Health (Children)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if any further steps have been taken to deal with child dental health since the 1973 survey; if more recent studies show any change from the situation then, that by the age of 14 years one child in 10 had lost four permanent teeth; and if he will make a statement.

Since the 1973 survey was carried out the Committee on Child Health Services (Court) has been considering the problems of promoting children's dental health and I am now consulting interested bodies on the advice which I have received.There has been no more recent national survey and I consider it too soon to carry out another.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of children under the age of five years have decayed teeth.

As there has been no recent comprehensive study of the teeth of children under five years of age I regret that the information is not available.

Dental Charges

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the percentage increase over present charges contained in his proposed regulation for synthetic resin dentures, metal dentures and bridges, crowns, inlays, pinlays and gold fillings.

The proposed increases in charges for synthetic resin and metal dentures and bridges are expressed in the following table as a percentage of the current charge. Similar comparisons cannot be made for crowns, inlays, pinlays and gold fillings since charges for these are at present contained in the overall charge of £3·50 for a course of treatment.

	Present charge	Proposed charge	Increase	Percentage increase
	£	£	£
SYNTHETIC RESIN DENTURES
1, 2 and 3 teeth	5·40	10·00	4·60	85·19
4–8 teeth	6·00	11·00	5·00	83·33
More than 8 teeth	6·60	12·00	5·40	81·82
Maximum charge for more than one denture	12·00	20·00	8·00	66·67
METAL DENTURES AND BRIDGES
1, 2 and 3 teeth	5·40	15·00	9·60	177·78
4–8 teeth	6·00	16·00	10·00	166·67
More than 8 teeth	6·60	17·00	10·40	157·58
Maximum charge for more than one denture	12·00	30·00	18·00	150·00

Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made concerning the use by the NHS of some beds in various departments of the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital, Woolwich.

My right hon. Friend and 1 are considering the matter in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.

Medical Staff (Secondment Overseas)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what instructions he has given to health authorities regarding the secondment of doctors and other medical staff for work overseas; and what response there has been in various medical categories, and to which countries.

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Derby, North (Mr. Whitehead) on 26th January—[Vol. 924, c. 692–3.] So far as I am aware no appointments have been made within the terms of the health exports circular since it was issued on 16th December 1976.

Unemployed Claimants

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the numbers of unemployed claimants sent for interview by an unemployment review officer for the latest available date; and if he will distinguish between those on the ordinary register and those on the professional and executive register.

In 1976, 147,635 unemployed claimants were called for interview by unemployment review officers. The information necessary to answer the second part of the Question is not collected.

Earnings Rule

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will place in the Library the surveys of pensioners deferring retirement and of working wives and other material relating to the earnings rule referred to by the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security, Official Report, 14th February 1977, column 108.

My hon. Friend's remarks in the House on 14th February—[Vol. 926, c. 108.]—referred to the survey currently being carried out into the reasons for retirement by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys on behalf of my Department and the Department of Employment. This is designed to produce information about the effect of the retirement condition and the earnings rule on a person's decision to defer his retirement and continue at work, and also some information about the working wives of pensioners. Initial results are expected at the end of this year, with further analyses in the first half of 1978. It is still too early to decide whether, or in what form, the results will be published.In estimating the number of working wives of retirement and invalidity pensioners for the purpose of costing changes in the earnings rule, the Government Actuary's Department had regard to, amongst other material, the inquiry into Prolonged Sickness and the Return to Work carried out by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and published in December 1975, a copy of which is in the Statistics Section of the Library of the House.

Defence

Royal Air Force (Pay)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the average earnings of aircraft flight deck officers in each year since 1970, (b) the range of earnings of this group in each year since 1970 and (c) the cash and percentage increase in earnings of this group between 1975 and 1976.

The ranks which most nearly equate to "flight deck officers" are squadron leaders or flight lieutenants. It would require disproportionate effort to determine their average annual earnings since 1970, but the figures below, showing the sum of basic pay and flying pay received by officers with five years' seniority in the rank, should be close to the average:

		Squadron Leader	Flight Lieutenant
		£	£
1970–71	…	3,614	2,993
1971–72	…	3,833	3,168
1972–73	…	4,281	3,529
1973–74	…	4,486	3,704
1974–75	…	5,148	4,272
1975–76	…	6,577	5,522
1976–77	…	6,889	5,834

It is mot possible to give the range of earnings over this period without the use of arbitrary classifications. However the range is appreciably wider than the difference between the two columns in the table above.The difference of £312 between the figures in the last two lines of the table represents an increase of 4·74 per cent. for the squadron leaders and 5·65 per cent. for the flight lieutenants.

Illegitimacy

asked the Secretary of State for Defence 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 be- tween the parent of a legitimate child and the parent of an illegitimate child.

Illegitimate children and their parents are not singled out for discriminatory treatment in any departmental legislation, regulations or rules. An illegitimate child is regarded as "a child of the family" and treated in the same way as any legitimate child for Service purposes if it has been brought up at some time in the household of the husband and wife.

Hovercraft (Minesweeping)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be in a position to place firm orders for minesweeping hovercraft for the Royal Navy.

The trials of hovercraft for the mine countermeasures rôle are nearing completion. I expect that a decision on whether to proceed with the development of hovercraft for this rôle will be made within the next 12 months.

Belfast Aircraft

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of the 10 RAF Belfasts when they were acquired; what percentage of their flying life remained when they were withdrawn from service; and for how much they were sold.

We paid some £30 million for the 10 Belfast aircraft, and we estimate that about half of their flying life remained when they were withdrawn from service. It is not our practice to divulge the price that we obtain in commercial sales.

Royal Air Force Regiment

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many squadrons will remain in the RAF Regiment after the cuts referred to in his reply to the hon. Member for Tynemouth of 11th February 1977.

Ten.

Gannet Xl480 Aircraft

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when work on refurbishing Gannet XL 480 was terminated: why he has not received cost details from the company concerned; and when he expects to receive them.

The modernisation work on the Gannet XL 480 was terminated in June 1975. The contract is due to be priced on the basis of actual recorded costs. This work on XL 480 is part of a larger contract involving other Gannet aircraft and all work on that contract needs to be completed before the contractor can render his quotation, which is expected within three months.

Training

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now publish the Lewis Report on Inter-Service Training.

I have today placed a copy of the Lewis Report in the Library.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Rhodesia

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has evidence that any British oil company has been involved in the breaking of trade sanctions being applied against Rhodesia.

Allegations about breaches of sanctions by international oil companies have periodically been made. They are investigated in accordance with normal procedures. We are currently looking into certain evidence provided recently. So far as the British oil companies are concerned, Her Majesty's Government have in the past received firm assurances that they are observing sanctions.

Helsinki Final Act

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the meeting of experts, called to consider the draft convention on a European system for the settlement of disputes, submitted to the Helsinki conference by the Swiss Government, has yet reported.

The Helsinki Final Act states that the meeting of experts to consider the Swiss "Draft Convention on a European System for the Peaceful Settle- ment of Disputes "will take place after the Belgrade review meeting. The review meeting itself is not due to begin until later this year.

Scotland

Scottish Trades Union Congress

15.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what subjects he proposes to discuss at his next meeting with the STUC.

I would expect to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the Scottish economy.

Scottish Assembly

16.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a progress report on the construction work authorised at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, preparatory to its housing the Scottish Assembly.

Satisfactory progress is being made.

Paper-Making Industry

17.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement on the future of the paper-making industry in Scotland in the light of the continuing arrangements for imports with former EFTA partners.

The arrangements for imports of paper from the former EFTA countries are only one of many factors affecting the industry in Scotland.

Fishing Industry

18.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the latest situation in the fishing industry.

Progress is being made within the European Community on a number of issues relating to the common fisheries policy. We will be continuing to press for speedy resolution of the other outstanding issues.

Scottish Development Agency

19.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had this year with the Scottish Development Agency relating to the provision of new jobs in the next 12 months.

I am in frequent contact with the Chairman and the Chief Executive of the SDA, formally and informally, on issues covering the whole range of their functions, of which the expansion of job opportunities is of course a vital component.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the cost in rental of the Scottish Development Agency offices in Glasgow; what was the cost of carpeting the parquet floors in the office; what was the cost of the other renovations; and what was the cost of the alterations including a shower personally requested by the chairman.

These are all matters for the agency.

Craiglockhart College Of Education

20.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations were held with either the board of governors or the staff of Craiglockhart College of Education before the publication of the Government's proposals on the future of Scottish colleges of education.

As was made clear during) the debate in Scottish Grand Committee last week, my right hon. Friend's paper was intended to initiate a consultation process. Consultation did not take place, therefore, before publication.

Dundee

21.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will pay an official visit to Dundee.

I have no immediate plans for a further visit.

Teachers

22.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to undertake negotiations with teachers' unions to reassess the Red Book and Circular 819 staffing standards.

My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to review the existing staffing standards.

Prisoners

23.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now in a position to make a further statement on the use of reception boxes in Scottish prisons.

Improvements within reception areas are now in hand. Procedures have been examined to ensure that the time spent by inmates in reception cubicles is kept to the minimum, but they will remain a necessary facility.

Berneray-North Uist (Causeway)

24.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made on plans to provide a causeway to join Berneray to North Uist; and what grant assistance would be given.

This is a matter for the Western Isles Islands Council. The cost would have to be contained within its capital allocations, which, in common with those to all other authorities, are restricted in the present economic circumstances. Grant might be payable under the Congested Districts (Scotland) Act 1897, but no undertaking can be given on this at present.

Truancy

25.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will now collect statistics on truancy rates for individual schools.

I do not think this would be justified.

Mental Health Patients

26.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the referral rate for persons of all ages requiring treatment either as out-patients or seeking admission for mental health treatment and the age and sex of acceptances to mental hospitals in the years 1974 to 1976.

Information is not available in the form requested. Statistics relating to mental and mental deficiency hospitals are collected only for admissions, bed use—including numbers on waiting lists—and out-patient attendances. I have arranged for copies of the 1973 and 1974 editions of Scottish Health Statistics to be placed in the Library. Appropriate extracts of the 1975 edition, which has not yet been published, have been inserted in the 1974 edition. Figures for 1976 will not be available for some time.

Homeless Persons

27.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will amend the laws relating to homeless persons in Scotland.

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan) on 25th January 1977 and to my statement in the Second Reading debate on the Housing (Homeless Persons) Bill on 18th February.—[Vol. 924, c. 555; Vol. 926, c. 924–929.]

Empty Houses

28.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will conduct a survey into the number of local authority houses that have been empty for more than six weeks; and if he will make a statement.

The cost of a formal survey would not be justified. The information I have suggests that empty houses are a small part of the stock, and that problems are related to particular areas, which receive the special attention of the local authority.

Employment Creation

29.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further steps he is taking to stimulate employment in Scotland through the industrial powers available to him.

I am responsible for selective financial assistance under Section 7 of the Industry Act 1972. In the exercise of these powers I will consider for assistance any project which provides or safeguards employment in Scotland.

Public Service Manpower

30.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of public service manpower requirements in central and local government in Scotland over the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

I can only answer for those Departments responsible to me. Apart from devolution, I expect that be tween now and 1st April 1979 the numbers in the Scottish Office, excluding prisons and the State Hospital, will stay at about the present level, which is some 300 below what it was in January 1976 and about the same level as it was at 1st July 1975. I expect the Prison Service to increase by about 150 staff, and the minor departments, particularly the Department of Registers of Scotland and the Scottish Courts Administration, to increase by a net 175: the size of these departments depends on the unavoidable demands placed on their services.On the likely effects of devolution I have nothing to add to the Explanatory and Financial Memorandum to the Scotland and Wales Bill.As regards local government, it is the responsibility of each local authority to control its manpower. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities have told me that it expects a reduction of local authority manpower in 1977–78.

Industrial Sites (Glasgow)

31.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many industrial sites over one acre are available for development in the Glasgow district; and how many of these sites are fully serviced.

At December 1976 there were 25 sites of one acre or more available for immediate entry. They total 246 acres. A further 14 sites totalling 461 acres are zoned, and in some cases partly serviced for industry: all should be fully serviced by 1980.

A9, Blackford Village (Bypass)

33.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the proposed bypass to Blackford Village and traffic on the A9.

My right hon. Friend has decided to order a public local inquiry into the side road proposals.

Economic Prospects

32.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the prospects for the Scottish economy during the next six months.

As in the United Kingdom as a whole, expansion in the Scottish economy will be concentrated in the manufacturing sector, with the main impetus coming from exports and manufacturing investment. The latest CBI survey indicated that manufacturing output and orders in Scotland have moved upward quite strongly in the four months to January and that a further increase was expected.

Abortion

35.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence he has of any abuse of the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967; and if he will make a statement.

Most of the abuses which gave cause for concern in the immediate aftermath of the 1967 Act related to the private sector which in Scotland was and remains negligible since 98 per cent. of all abortions are carried out in NHS hospitals.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number of abortions performed in NHS hospitals and elsewhere in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.

The table below gives the number of abortions notified as having been carried out in Scotland since the Abortion Act 1967 came into effect during 1968:

Year		National Health Service Hospitals	Private establishments approved by the Secretary of State under Section 1 of the Abortion Act 1967	Total
1968 (part)		1,493	44	1,537
1969	…	3,475	69	3,544
1970	…	5,178	76	5,254
1971	…	6,248	84	6,332
1972	…	7,501	99	7,600
1973	…	7,410	88	7,498
1974	…	7,413	132	7,545
1975	…	7,148	152	7,300
1976	…	7,003	179	7,182

The figures for 1976 are provisional.

Mortgages

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the level of take-up by each district council within Strathclyde Region of funds available for mortgage loans during 1975–76 and 1976–77; and what application he has received for 1977–78.

The levels of take-up of allocations are as follows:

	1975–76 Per cent.	1976–77 (at 31st December 1976) Per cent.
Argyll and Bute	90	36
Bearsden and Milnagavie	Nil	3
Clydebank	53	73
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	20	100
Cumnock and Doon Valley	Nil	45
Cunninghame	22	61
Dumbarton	93	90
East Kilbride	100	58
Eastwood	88	100
Glasgow	68	66
Hamilton	100	100
Inverclyde	100	52
Kilmarnock and Loudoun	100	No allocation
Kyle and Carrick	67	50
Lanark	44	57
Monklands	77	60
Motherwell	74	41
Renfrew	100	38
Strathkelvin	100	94

The allocations for 1977–78 have yet to be announced. They are, however, not made in response to applications from individual authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what has been the Scottish Office's allocation of funds to local authorities for the financing of mortgage loans in each of the past five years; and what is the projected level of such funds for the next financial year;(2) if he is satisfied with the level of take-up by local authorities of funds made available for the financing of mortgage loans; and what surpluses or deficits, if any, there have been in each of the past five years.

The available information is as follows:

Year		Allocation	Expenditure
		£	£
1972–73	…	—	8,159,000
1973–74	…	—	11,710,000
1974–75	…	—	17,928,000
1975–76	…	15,250,00	14,703,000
1976–77	…	13,340,000	8,858,500^*
^* As at 31st December 1976.

Allocations for local authority lending for house purchase and improvement were introduced in 1975–76 and have been substantially taken up. The total funds available for lending in 1977–78will be included in the forthcoming White Paper on Public Expenditure Part II.

Arbroath High School

34.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received regarding Arbroath High School building; and whether he intends to make funds available to remedy the conditions in which staff and pupils are currently working.

Apart from the hon. Gentleman's letter of 25th January no representations have been received recently about this building. My right hon. Friend has not so far been asked by Tayside Regional Council to take account of the replacement of the building in the council's capital allocations.

Employment

Immigrants

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans there are for language training and other resources to be made available to industry where local education authorities are making inadequate provision in the race relations field.

Under present arrangements industrial language training units set up and operated by LEAs are grant aided at the rate of 75 per cent. by the Home Office. The LEAs make up the other 25 per cent. from their own funds.The Training Services Agency has established the National Centre for Industrial Language Training to provide the resources for the development and continued operation of the local units.

NUMBERS UNEMPLOYED IN THE EMPLOYMENT OFFICE AREAS
			Motherwell	Kilmarnock	Dundee	Edinburgh	Ayr
January 1964	…	…	1,049	1,121	2,844	3,966	1,639
January 1965	…	…	649	831	2,150	2,996	1,410
January 1966	…	…	516	735	2,093	2,755	1,157
January 1967	…	…	881	1,145	2,640	3,109	1,603
January 1968	…	…	1,003	1,208	2,663	3,465	1,706
January 1969	…	…	896	792	2,330	3,670	1,713
January 1970	…	…	898	892	3,378	4,358	1,424
January 1971	…	…	1,100	1,260	5,289	5,359	1,493
January 1972	…	…	1,694	1,982	7,631	6,420	1,953
January 1973	…	…	1,349	1,651	5,729	5,479	1,566
January 1974	…	…	941	1,203	4,153	5,040	1,450
January 1976	…	…	1,724	2,284	7,136	7,306	2,973
January 1977	…	…	2,057	2,885	8,290	9,306	3,867

The TSA has also encouraged the industrial training boards to provide training in this area.

I am aware of the difficulties in which some local authorities find themselves because of financial constraints in supporting language training in the race relations field and I am keeping the situation under review.

New Year Bank Holidays

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he will announce his decision as to whether Friday 30th December 1977 or Monday 2nd January 1978 will be the official New Year's Day holiday.

As already announced Monday 2nd January 1978 will be a bank holiday in Scotland under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. I hope shortly to complete consultations about the bank holiday to he designated at the New Year in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Unemployed Persons

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish figures showing the total unemployed and percentage rates for Motherwell, Kilmarnock, Dundee, Edinburgh and Ayr in January of each year from 1964 to the nearest available date.

The first table below shows the numbers of people registered as unemployed in the Motherwell, Kilmarnock, Dundee, Edinburgh and Ayr employment office areas. Unemployment rates can be calculated only for the whole of a travel-to-work area, and these are shown in the second table.

PERCENTAGE RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE TRAVEL-TO-WORK AREAS
			North Lanarkshire	Kilmarnock	Dundee	Edinburgh	Ayr
January 1964	…	…	6·0	3·5	3·1	2·4	4·1
January 1965	…	…	3·9	2·6	2·3	2·0	3·8
January 1966	…	…	3·0	2·2	2·3	1·8	3·1
January 1967	…	…	4·7	3·6	3·0	2·0	4·3
January 1968	…	…	5·5	3·6	3·0	2·4	4·8
January 1969	…	…	4·9	2·4	2·5	2·9	4·6
January 1970	…	…	4·9	2·8	3·8	3·6	4·0
January 1971	…	…	6·3	4·1	6·0	4·4	4·1
January 1972	…	…	9·2	6·0	8·1	4·9	5·0
January 1973	…	…	7·8	5·0	6·0	4·1	4·1
January 1974	…	…	5·0	3·6	4·4	3·6	3·7
January 1976	…	…	8·9	6·9	7·5	5·3	7·5
January 1977	…	…	10·6	8·7	8·8	6·6	9·8

Because of industrial action at local offices of the Employment Service Agency information for January 1975 is not available.

Rates of unemployment are calculated for travel-to-work areas as a whole but not separately for their constituent parts. Motherwell employment office area forms part of the North Lanarkshire travel-to-work area, which also includes the employment office areas of Airdrie, Bellshill, Blantyre, Carluke, Coatbridge, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Larkhall, Uddingston and Wishaw. The Kilmarnock travel to-work area also includes the employment office area of Newmilns. Edinburgh employment office area forms part

			Stoke-on-Trent travel-to-work area		Leek employment office
			Total number unemployed	Percentage rate	Total number unemployed	Percentage rate
February 1977^*	…	…	7,565	3·7	479	3·5
February 1976	…	…	7,241	3·6	620	4·6
^*February 1977 figures are provisional.

While unemployment in North Stafford shire is now higher than it was a year ago, despite the drop in Leek, there has been a welcome decrease over the past month. North Staffordshire should continue to benefit from the various measures which the Government has taken to alleviate unemployment; so far, an estimated 3,500 persons have been assisted there by means of the job creation and work experience programmes, the temporary employment subsidy, and the recruitment subsidy and youth employment subsidy schemes. In addition, it is hoped to train over 800 people in North Staffordshire during 1977 under the training opportunities scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the figures for the number of registered unemployed of the Edinburgh travel-to-work area, which also includes the employment office areas of Dalkeith, Leith, Loanhead, Musselburgh, Portabello, Tranent and Penicuik. The Ayr travel-to-work area also includes the employment office area of Troon.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the unemployment figures for each travel-to-work area in North Staffordshire for the latest available date and for one year earlier; and whether he will make a statement.

Following are the unemployment statistics requested:and for the number of notified vacancies for Eastleigh, Hampshire, for the month of January for each year since 1970.

Following is the information available.

EASTLEIGH EMPLOYMENT OFFICE AREA
			Notified vacancies remaining unfilled
		Numbers unemployed	At employment office	At careers office
January 1970	…	389	92	77
January 1971	…	424	79	103
January 1972	…	447	62	97
January 1973	…	381	202	118
January 1974	…	232	381	186
January 1975	…	..	..	..
January 1976	…	774	51	24
January 1977	…	787	..	40

Because of industrial action by some staff in the Department of Employment Group information for January 1975 is not available and the count of unfilled vacancies in January 1977 was incomplete.The vacancy statistics relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices and careers offices, and are not a measure of total vacancies. Because of possible duplication the two series should not be added together.

Steel Industry

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons are now employed in the steel industry in the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire areas, respectively; and how this compares with 1970 and 1964.

Because of the risk of disclosure of information about individual undertakings figures can be given only for the old county areas of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire combined. They show that there were 18,600 employees in employment in the steel industry—Minimum List

£ million
Year ended 31st March			Amount of Unemployment Benefit paid	Cost of Administration of Unemployment Benefit Work (recovered from the National Insurance Find)	Estimated cost of Administration of Employment offices and Job Centres	Cost of Administration of Job Creation Programme
1967	…	…	78·0	6·0	—	—
1968	…	…	122·0	10·2	—	—
1969	…	…	123·0	8·8	—	—
1970	…	…	127·0	9·7	—	—
1971	…	…	150·0	11·8	—	—
1972	…	…	239·0	16·5	—	—
1973	…	…	209·0	15·3	—	—
1974	…	…	174·0	10·4	—	—
1975	…	…	214·0	21·0	31·1^*	—
1976	…	…	454·0	35·9	61·3^†	0·3^‡
^* Until 1974–75 employment and unemployment benefit services were both provided by Department of Employment employment exchanges and the cost of the employment services was not separately identified in departmental accounts. The estimated costs for 1974–75 and 1975–76 have provided by the Employment Service Agency (ESA) of the Manpower Services Commission, which took over responsibility 1974–75 for administering employment services through a network of employment offices and Job centres.
^† From 1st April 1975 ESA was required to pay for services previouosly provided without charge by allied service departments.
^‡ The Job Creation Programme was introduced in October 1975.

Stoke-On-Trent

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps have been taken to find out whether the training needs of Stoke-on-Trent are being met.

The Manpower Services Commission informs me that the Training Services Agency is currently reviewing the training needs of North Staffordshire Headings 311 and 312 of the Standard Industrial Classification—in that area in June 1975, the latest date for which detailed information is available. After allowing for the discontinuity at 1971, when the method of compiling the statistics was altered, there was no change in the number of employees in employment between 1970 and 1975 and a decrease of 900 between 1964 and 1970.

Expenditure

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will show the cost of unemployment benefit in each of the last 10 years, and if he will publish a similar table showing the latest cost of administration of his Department and that of the employment offices and job-centres, and of the job creation programme in each year.

The information required is shown in the following table:as a whole, in consultation with local bodies, including the North Staffordshire District Manpower Committee, which has set up a special sub-committee to consider the question. When the results of the review are known, consideration will be given to supplementing, if necessary, the existing training facilities available at the skillcentre at Hanley, and the courses being run on behalf of the agency in colleges of further education and employers' establishments. The first results of the review are expected to be made available shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why no facilities for training pottery workers exist at the Skill Centre, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

The Manpower Services Commission informs me that at the time when the selection of trades for the Hanley Skillcentre was being considered the Department of Employment, which was then responsible for vocational training agreed, in consultation with the Pottery Manufacturers Federation, that the existing training facilities were adequate to meet the training needs of the area, and that skillcentre involvement was not required. The situation will be kept under review and the Training Services Agency will, of course, consider any representations made to it on this subject.

Industry

Postal And Telephone Charges

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many increases in postal and telephone charges have been imposed or contemplated in percentage terms for the years 1974 to 1977.

This is a matter for the Post Office, and the hon. Member should write direct to it.

Post Office (Finance)

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what were the profits of the Post Office for 1975, 1976 and 1977.

I refer the hon. Member to the Post Office Report and Accounts for the financial years ended 31st March 1975 and 1976. The Post Office Report and Accounts for 1976–77 will be laid before the House in the summer.

Small Businesses

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what assessment he has made of the effect on small firms of the requirements made upon them by the Price Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Though firms of every size are bound by the Price Code, it is estimated that the vast majority of small firms are unaffected by the Commission's administrative requirements as their annual sales are below the level at which they are required to keep records of price increases and profit margins. Even those few small firms falling into Category III of the Counter Inflation (Prices and Charges) (Information) Order 1970 (SI 1976 No. 1172) are required only to keep appropriate records, not to submit information regularly to the Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many of the sector working parties mentioned their dissatisfaction with the availability of finance for small firms; and what action he proposes to take to remedy the difficulty.

Few sector working parties referred specifically in their latest reports to problems over the availability of finance for small firms, but many of the general remarks made about the supply and, more prominently, the cost of finance apply particularly to small and medium-sized firms. The Government's general reaction to these comments is set out in paragraph 8 of the paper "Industrial Strategy: The Government Response" which was placed in the Library on 3rd February. The NEDC Committee on Finance for Investment under Sir Eric Roll has been asked to look particularly at problems of finance for small companies.

European Space Agency

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the outcome of the recent meeting of the Council of the European Space Agency; and if he will make a statement.

The meeting of the Council of the European Space Agency on 14th-15th February 1977, at which I led the United Kingdom delegation, was the first to be held at ministerial level since the Agency was set up in May 1975.For the United Kingdom the most important outcome was Council's declaration that it intended to build a second Marots (maritime communications) satellite to follow on the first which is to be launched in late 1978. The prospects for Marots, in which the United Kingdom has the majority industrial interest, are bright. The European telecommunications authorities, including the British Post Office, are currently considering a proposal to provide a commercial service over the Indian Ocean using the two Marots satellites, and there are hopes that Marots-type satellites will be selected for a global maritime communications system in the early 1980s.The Council also declared its intention to develop satellites for a European regional communications system in the early 1980s, and also to develop a larger communications satellite for which a market is expected to emerge in the late 1980s. A provisional decision was made to set up a European network of ground stations capable of receiving data from earth observation satellites; and it was also agreed that studies should be undertaken of a possible European earth observation satellite and of the production of a small batch of Ariane launcher rockets, supported by the participating countries.

Wales

Statutory Instruments

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in the Official Report the instruments signed by him since taking office in March 1974 which have not been debated in the House.

As the list is lengthy, I am arranging for a copy to be placed in the Library. Many of the instruments were signed by me jointly with other Ministers.

National Finance

Fiscal Drag

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the total value of fiscal drag during the current fiscal year.

Total fiscal drag can be defined as the difference between the actual yield of a tax and what would have been raised if the average base rate had remained unchanged; that is, if the tax receipts had grown in line with money incomes only. Inland Revenue's latest estimate of the total value of fiscal drag in the income tax system during the fiscal year 1976–77 compared with 1975–76 is about £100 million. Before the tax changes announced in the 1976 spring Budget total fiscal drag would have been about £1,400 million; the Budget reduced this by £1,300 million.

Pensions

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of people who pay tax only because retirement pensions are a taxable form of income; what would be the loss to the revenue if such pensions were made untaxable like short-term social security benefits; and what is the number of staff needed now in Inland Revenue and Department of Health and Social Security offices who would not be needed if retirement pensions were not a taxable form of income.

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

Inflation

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current rate of inflation, as defined by the percentage rise in the retail price index over the three months to January 1977, expressed as an annual rate.

21.8 per cent. The January index reflects a large part of the increases in Excise duties announced in December. So annualising the figures over the last three months produces a result which presupposes four sets of similar budgetary measures in a year.

Public Sector Borrowing Requirement

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present estimate of the public sector borrowing requirement for 1976–77 and for 1977–78.

I must ask my hon. Friend to wait for my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement.

Northern Ireland

Secondary Education Reorganisation

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which bodies have so far submitted opinions on the Department of Education's consultative document on the reorganisation of secondary education.

At 17th February formal views had been received from the Association of Governing Bodies of Grammar Schools in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Women Teachers' Association, the Ulster Headmistresses' Association, the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland and the Social Democratic and Labour Party. In addition, preliminary views have been submitted by the Northern Ireland Association for Comprehensive Education and the Unionist Party of Northern Ireland. About 90 submissions have been received from various local groups such as parent-teacher associations, management committees and teaching staff of individual schools.

School Meals

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amount of subsidy for school meals is available to boarders at schools in Northern Ireland.

None.

Gaelic Athletic Association

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Northern Ireland which have received grants from public funds in excess of £5,000 during 1975–76 and 1976–77, indicating the purpose for which each grant was used.

In the 1975–76 financial year one Gaelic Athletic Association club, the Wolfe Tone Gaelic Football Club, Lurgan, received grant under the Recreation and Youth Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1973 in excess of £5,000. The grant was made to the club in respect of approved expenditure incurred in the development of its playing field.In the current financial year four Gaelic Athletic Association clubs have received grants in excess of £5,000. They are: Augher Gaelic Football Club in respect of the provision of a sports pavilion; St. Killian's Gaelic Football Club, Whitecross, for the development of playing fields; Castlewellan Gaelic Football Club in respect of the development of playing fields; Glenullin Gaelic Foot- ball Club, Garvagh, for the purchase and development of playing fields.

Unemployment Benefit

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many investigations into suspected or alleged offences of claiming unemployment benefit in Northern Ireland whilst working in the Republic of Ireland have taken place during the past five years.

The information is not available. Although investigating officers maintain records of the cases which they pursue, the records do not show whether the suspicions or allegations giving rise to the investigation were in respect of employment in the Republic of Ireland.

Houses (Repair Grants)

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date he instructed the Northern Ireland district councils to stop the non-statutory system of house repair grants which was superseded by the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1976.

In a letter dated 4th November 1976 the Department of the Environmen tinstructed district councils not to entertain fresh applications for non-statutory repairs grant received on or after 10th November 1976.

Work Permits

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his policy regarding the future of work permits in the Province.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to employment permits issued under the Safeguarding of Employment Act (Northern Ireland) 1947 and not to work permits issued under the Immigration Act 1971. As I said on 10th February in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea, South (Mr. Perry), it is the Government's intention that the former Act should cease to have effect after 31st December 1977. The position then will be that nationals of EEC and non-Commonwealth countries and Commonwealth citizens, who propose to take up work in Northern Ireland, will be subject to the same immigration rules as apply in relation to all other parts of the United Kingdom.

Volume 926: debated on Wednesday 23 February 1977

Written Answers To Questions

Prices And Consumer Protection

Consumer Councils

Babcock And Wilcox Ltd And Herbert Morris Ltd

Price Control (Public Instruction)

Price Commission

Inquiries And Questionnaires

Fireworks (Injuries)

Price Reductions

Alarm Systems

Price Commission (Referrals)

Civil Service

Scottish Cities

Patronage

Civil Servants

Home Department

Judges' Rules

Local Authority Grants (Commonwealth Immigrants)

Television Licences

Shotgun Certificates

Television (Wales)

Messrs Agee And Hosenball

Illegitimacy

Crime

Shoplifting

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Malawi Asians

Animals (Experiments)

Trade

Copper (Imports)

Air Travel Reserve Fund

Textiles (Imports)

Imports

Companies Registration Office

Court Line

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Nitrates In Water

Statutory Instruments

Fishing Limits

House Of Commons

Welsh Affairs

Transport

Road Accidents

Radioactive Material

Driving Tests (Dundee)

Railways (Charges)

M3 (Inquiry)

Environment

Disabled Persons

Office Building (Havering)

Fuel Bills

Statutory Instruments

Energy

North Sea Oil (Product Yields)

Research

Derv Consumption (Northern Ireland)

Gas Prices

Coal Prices

Electricity Prices

Education And Science

Teacher Training

Oil Rig (Government Order)

Coal, Gas And Electricity Boards (Profit And Loss)

Youth Service Forum

Teacher-Pupil Ratios (Avon)

London University

Comprehensive Schools (Gloucester)

Schoolchildren (Costs)

Gloucester College Of Education

Social Services

Day Centres

Giro Cheques

North-Western Regional Health Authority

Children Act 1975 (Custodianship Provisions)

Dental Health (Children)

Dental Charges

Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital

Medical Staff (Secondment Overseas)