asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many students from Taiwan have been admitted to study in the United Kingdom.

This information is not available, but we make no distinction between people from Taiwan and those from elsewhere who wish to study here.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will explain the special features of Dover, Wellingborough and Stoke Heath borstals that led, respectively, to 45, 31 and 21 confinements to room in 1975, compared with no confinements in the Manchester and Portland borstals.

We do not consider that any conclusions can reasonably be drawn about these five establishment by looking at these particular statistics.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have been held between his Department and local education authorities in Birmingham, Sandwell, Dugley, Sheffield, Rotherham and Lancashire; and what have been the results.

Officials of my Department accompanied my hon. Friend the Minister of State on 7th October 1976 on a visit to Birmingham for discussions with the City Council. My hon. Friend also held discussions with the local authorities in Nelson, Burnley and Preston, at which officials of Lancashire County Council were present, during visits to these areas in October and December last year in connection with his responsibilities for race relations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the post in Delhi is referring to the Home Office 30 per cent. of applications for settlements from wives and children, that in Islamabad is referring 30 per cent. and that in Dacca is referring 55 per cent. in view of the fact that instructions were given in 1975 that no cases should be referred except in the most extreme circumstances.

The Question rests on an assumption that, of all cases dealt with, all those listed as "Referred/ Deferred for Enquiries" in my hon. Friend's Written Reply on this subject of 10th February—[Vol. 925, c. 818–22]—were referred to the Home Office. In fact, only a small proportion of cases was referred to the Home Office; in 1976 between 90 and 97 per cent. of all cases were dealt with by the post concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the cases referred to the Home Office, in the answer of the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Official Report, 10th February 1977, c. 818, were granted, refused or further deferred.

No separate record is kept of the outcome of cases referred to the Home Office by posts overseas, and the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration cases were referred to him by hon. Members in each quarter of the last three years; and with what result.

The number of letters received on immigration cases is not recorded separately from those on immigration matters generally. But in 1974, 1975 and 1976 the number of letters received from right hon. and hon. Members on immigration and nationality matters was about 6,250, 7,500 and 8,000 respectively. It is not possible to summarise the replies sent to these letters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he is satisfied with the present fire safety regulations in the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital;(2) in connection with fire hazards, what liaison there has been between his Department, the hospital authorities and the contractors during the construction of the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital;(3) if he will make a statement on the unsafe condition of the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital from the point of view of safety against fire, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange.

There is concern, from the fire prevention aspect, about the safety of the podium roof of the building, the adequacy of the means of escape from the proposed ward block and related compartmentation in that block. The Home Office was not involved in the development until last year, when this concern was brought to notice by the fire authority, acting in an advisory capacity to the Mersey Regional Health Authority. A close liaison has since been developed between the health and fire authorities, the Department of Health and Social Security, the Home Office and the Fire Research Station, as a result of which tests are now proceeding with a view to establishing the nature of whatever remedial action may be required.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the Fowler Inquiry Report into the Hull Prison riot; and if he will then publish it.

I expect to receive the report by the Chief Inspector of the Prison Service shortly. As to publication, I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Ormskirk (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) on 2nd February.—[Vol. 925, c. 206–7.]

asked the Lord President of the Council what is the volume in centilitres of the half carafe and full carafe of wines as available in the dining rooms of the House of Commons; and what are the current prices for House Red and House White wine in carafes and half carafes.

I have been asked to reply.The small carafes and large carafes of wine available in the dining rooms of the House of Commons contain 50 cl and 75 cl, respectively, as required by the Weights and Measures (Sale of Wine) Order 1976. SI 1976, No. 1120. These quantities are displayed on cards on all the tables in the dining rooms and from 23rd February these cards will also show the purchase prices which are as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out the working of the option referred to in paragraph 295 of the EEC Agricultural Report of 1976 and explain how the savings are made and at whose expense.

Article 2a of Regulation 974/71 allows MCA import subsidies due in intra-Community trade to be paid by the Exporting member State by agreement between the member States concerned. It was agreed by the Council of Ministers on 29th April 1976 that this option should be exercised with regard to United Kingdom and Italian MCAs. As was made clear on 3rd May 1976 in a reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Durham (Mr. Hughes)—[Vol. 910, c. 225] —the decision did not affect the amount of money being paid on a transaction. It follows that the budgetary saving is only an apparent one. It arises because, for budgetary purposes, payments are converted from the currencies in which they are made into units of account at the old IMF parities. Thus, for sterling, the rate of £1=2·4 ua has been unaffected by the decline in the market value of the pound. Consequently an MCA paid in sterling on an import from another member State generally represents more units of account than the same sum paid in the exporting member State in its own currency. Similar considerations apply to Italian MCAs.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made by his officials in finding a solution to illegal fishing in the Taw and Torridge, for an estimated 1,000 salmon and 4,000 sea trout.

Following the meeting which I had with representatives of the Salmon and Trout Association in November 1976 it was agreed that the South West Water Authority would let my Department have up-to-date details of the problem. These were received earlier this month and are being considered.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will bring up to the most recent date available the figures which appear in Annex I, Annex II, Annex III, Annex IV and Annex V of Command Paper No. 6020 of 1975 entitled "Food from Our Own Resources". and publish them.

Much of this information is already available elsewhere, but for

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how he expects the Bullock Report on Industrial Democracy to be implemented in the farming and other agricultural industries; and if he will make a statement.

The Bullock Committee recommended that its proposals should apply only to companies with 2,000 or more employees. This coverage would probably exclude the farming industry, but would include various companies associated with that industry. The Government have begun general consultations with the CBI and the TUC on the Bullock Report with a view to achieving a lasting solution.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the cost of providing 10 million courses of dental treatment for children under 15 years of age; and if his forward projections show any decrease in this figure.

In 1975, 7·8 million courses of treatment were provided in England for children under 15 years of age through the general dental services, at a cost of £32·4 million. On that basis, 10 million courses of treatment would cost about £41 million.The numbers of courses of treatment have, over the years, been growing at a rate unaffected by changes in the under 15 population—from, for example, 5·8 million courses in 1970. While much depends on the effect of the Court Committee proposals I expect the numbers of courses of treatment to continue to rise. The average cost per course of treatment has almost doubled since 1970 and I cannot foresee any possibility of decrease in the future.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many fully trained social workers were in practice in each of the last five years in England and Wales.

The number of qualified¹ whole-time social workers and senior social workers (excluding team leaders) employed by local authority social services departments in England at 30th September each year are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the cost of remitting all charges for tory elements of treatment for persons on the supply of dentures and other laboraretirement pension.

Assuming no increase in demand an estimated yearly cost of remitting the current charges for dentures for women over 60 and men over 65 would be in the region of £2½ million. No appropriate information is available on laboratory costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the annual expenditure in each of the last five years on social services training in England and Wales.

I regret that this information is not available but the working party on manpower and training for the social services estimated that, in 1975, the total costs of qualifying courses for social services staff throughout the United Kingdom was about £27 million. About one half of this sum was borne by employers and about one half by the educational sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now announce his decision on advice of the Medicines Commission about the retail sale of analgesics.

I have carefully considered this issue, in the light of all the representations made on it, and my right hon. Friends the Health Ministers and I accept the advice that there are no grounds at present for believing that there is a correlation between the method of sale of a medicine and its rôle in accidental self-poisoning.However, we accept the view of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain that in general medicines are different from other products and should be treated with due care, especially in the home: and, since it is important to ensure that the need to treat medicines with respect is widely and fully appreciated, my colleagues and I propose to consider with the Health Education Council, the Scottish Health Education Unit and others whether further health education measures might usefully contribute to this end.In these circumstances, and bearing in mind the introduction of the Medicines (Child Safety) Regulations and the restrictions proposed on the retail sale of preparations containing analgesics, such as the restriction to packs of 25, we agree that there is no need to make regulations including the imposition of the additional restrictions of a ban on self-service methods. The proposed Medicines (Sale and Supply) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations, which are required to deal with other matters, are now being drafted accordingly and will be issued for consultation as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make a statement on the fire hazard in the construction of the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange;(2) what liaison exists between his Department, the fire authorities and contractors concerning the construction of the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital;(3) who will bear the estimated £8 million extra cost of making the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital fireproof;(4) if he will order an inquiry into the £8 million addition costs of making the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital fireproof;(5) what is the estimated final cost of the construction of the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital;(6) what is now the estimated final completion date of the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital;(7) if he was made aware of the possible fire hazards in the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital when he visited the site on his recent visit to Liverpool;(8) on what date possible fire hazards were discovered in the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital; what steps were taken; and when he was informed.

The fire precautions problem at the new Liverpool Teaching Hospital arises partly from the general design of the building and partly from the details of its construction. Although the building conformed generally with the building regulations and bylaws which were in force when it was designed in the middle 1960s these only laid down minimum standards and the full extent and complexity of the problem only became clear after the Mersey Regional Health Authority invited the Merseyside Fire Brigade to inspect the building late in 1975. The Fire Officer's final report submitted in April 1976 showed that the necessary work would not only be extensive but probably difficult to carry out because of the advanced stage of the building's construction and the Mersey Regional Health Authority, its professional consultants and the contractors have been working in close co-operation with my Department, the Merseyside Fire Brigade, the Home Office, the Department of the Environment and the Fire Research Station in order to reach a solution which will produce a properly safe hospital without doing avoidable damage to a building which is already structurally complete, or imposing any greater delay on its commissioning than is necessary. This is a difficult task but a solution has now been reached, subject to further discussion on the time-table for carrying the work out and to the completion of a test programme designed to establish the details of what needs to be done to the podium roof. My right hon. Friend was made aware of the progress which had been made when he visited the site on 20th December and there can be no question of allowing patients to occupy a building which is not safe. The cost of building this teaching hospital is met mainly from the NHS capital programme; a contribution is also made by the University of Liverpool out of a grant made by the University Grants Committee.It was clear that inquiry was needed into the reasons why the nature and extent of the fire precautions problem had not been fully realised earlier and in October 1976 the Mersey Regional Health Authority appointed an independent assessor to investigate the way in which the design of the hospital was developed.The cost of the main hospital including the university clinical departments and clinical sciences block is now estimated to be £54·2 million excluding fees and equipment but this will be subject to increases in wages and the price of materials between now and completion. The completion date depends on the programme for carrying out fire precautions work and that has still to be finalised.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps his Department takes when there are changes in legislation during the period of Government building contracts which may affect the work done; and how soon any appropriate action is taken.

The responsibility for complying with legal and other requirements rests with the health authorities with any necessary guidance by my Department. The speed with which action is taken when requirements change varies according to the circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the inter-departmental working group on the feasibility of an earnings-related system for collecting contributions from the self-employed.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th February 1977; Vol. 925, c. 865–6], gave the following information:No. The working group did not complete its full programme of work, which was discontinued when it became evident that staff costs on the contribution side alone would preclude the implementation of any proposals that might be made. I shall be writing to my hon. Friend in reply to his letter on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost in 1975–76, at April 1975 pension rates, of the drop in deferred retirement arising from the increase in the earnings rule limit to £20 per week, giving both the gross cost to the National Insurance Fund and the public expenditure cost net of tax; and what assumption is used for purposes of this calculation about the proportion of the total drop in deferred retirement which was due to factors unconnected with the earnings rule.

It is estimated that the number deferring retirement in November 1975 was some 36,000 lower than the corresponding number a year earlier—, 7,000 were women and 21,500 of the men were married. (No information is available on the average number deferring retirement over the year 1975–76 compared with 1974–75.) The gross cost to the National Insurance Fund in 1975–76, at April 1975 pension rates, of 36,000 extra pensioners and their 21,500 wives, including the contributions from them and the associated Treasury supplement, is estimated to be £33 million. Of the benefit element of this cost—£31 million —roughly £11 million would come back to the Exchequer in income tax. Analysing the reasons for retirement is extremely difficult since a complex of factors will usually be involved in each individual's decision. Thus it would not be possible to say how many of these extra pensioners retired as a result of the relaxation of the earnings rule and how many retired on account of other factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the maximum number of men engaged at one time on the refit of HMS "Wakeful", at Chatham Dockyard; why it took nearly a year at the stated cost to refit this 500-ton tug; whether he is satisfied that the cost was reasonable; and what is his estimate of the saving that would have resulted if the refit had been carried out in a civilian yard.

The labour force employed afloat and ashore in Chatham Dockyard on refitting HMS "Wakeful" averaged 70, with a peak of 160 for a short period.During her eight years in commercial ownership HMS "Wakeful" was maintained to normal commercial standards by Lloyds survey at due dates and necessary repairs, but she had no full refit. When she was acquired for the Royal Navy in 1974 it was recognised that modifications would be required to bring her up to naval standards, which are, of necessity, more rigorous than commercial requirements. The work undertaken during her subsequent refit included a survey and rectification of defects, the preparation and implementation of maintenance schedules, the updating of communications systems and changes to allow the close approach of helicopters for the transfer of personnel and stores. I am satisfied that this work was essential and represents value for money.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has yet assessed the number of jobs that would be required to complete the British Nimrod Airborne Early Warning programme as compared with the number of jobs that would be created if the Government decided to purchase the American Airborne Warning and Control System programme; and if he will make a statement.

As I told the hon. Member on 22nd February, there is no question of this country buying the Boeing AWACS. Our contribution would be to a NATO AEW force based on the Boeing aircraft. Nor is there any prospect of NATO taking Nimrod as an alternative to the Boeing. As the number of jobs that would be created if the United Kingdom were to participate in a NATO purchase of the Boeing aircraft would depend on the final arrangements for industrial collaboration, I am unable to make the assessment requested by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when the Royal Marines last mounted guard at Buckingham Palace.

The Royal Marines last mounted guard at Buckingham Palace from 1st to 18th September 1935.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the current acreage of land in Wales which is owned by the Crown for military purposes; and how many acres have been returned from military to civil use in Wales during the past three years.

The Ministry of Defence currently holds 52,495 acres of freehold and leasehold land in Wales and 2,637 acres of foreshore, with rights over a further 2,962 acres. During the last three years, 167 acres of freehold and leasehold land have been returned to civil use.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why on some occasions the guard at Buckingham Palace is mounted by the RAF instead of the Army.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers) on 27th January 1977.—[Vol. 924, c. 733–4.] The Queen's Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force mounts guard on occasions. This provides welcome opportunities for Foot Guards battalions to fulfil other commitments.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many men are required to mount the guard at Buckingham Palace.

, pursuant to his answer [Official Report, 22nd February 1977; Vol. 926, c. 549, gave the following information:Six officers, 72 soldiers and up to 100 bandsmen and drummers or pipers are required:

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the work of the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights.

I have today laid before Parliament the Second Report of the Standing Advisory Commission, which covers the period from July 1975 to October 1976.Much of the Commission's work during this period has been devoted to a study of the need for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. The Commission intends to present its report later this year; I look forward to receiving its recommendations.I am considering whether the Prevention of Incitement to Hatred (Northern Ireland) Act 1970 should be amended in the light of the amendment of the corresponding provision of the Race Relations Act. The Commission again recommends the repeal of the Flags and Emblems (Display) (Northern Ireland) Act 1954; I shall keep this in mind in the light of the situation in the Province as it develops.The report contains a number of detailed recommendations on electoral law. I shall be looking closely at the proposal that the seven-year residence qualification for district council elections should be reduced, and at the recommendations for a common qualifying date for Northern Ireland and Great Britain. As for voting methods, most of the points made in the report apply to elections in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. I shall be considering the various points in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.I have also noted the recommendation in the report that steps should be taken to improve the consultative procedures relating to draft legislation for Northern Ireland. Since last summer the opportunities for consultation and scrutiny of draft legislation have been extended.I also look forward to receiving the Commission's recommendations on the laws on homosexuality and divorce in Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will request the Sports Council for Northern Ireland to initiate discussions with the Gaelic Athletic Association with a view to the latter removing from its rules those of an overt political nature and which tend to be a divisive influence in Northern Ireland society.

This is a matter for the Sports Council for Northern Ireland. I understand that the Council will pursue discussions with the Gaelic Athletic Association about its rules.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what redundancy arrangements are available for staff of Government specialist agencies, who do not continue in the Civil Service after the demise of that specialist agency by legis- lation; and whether these are available only for full-time appointments.

Redundancy arrangements depend on whether the staff concerned are civil servants and on the circumstances of their redundancy. If the hon. Member has a particular case in mind and would like to write to me I will explain the relevant arrangements in more detail.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury on public sector pensions, Official Report, 8th February, columns 609–10, whether it is his intention to publish full background information to help clarify any changes he will be proposing to the index-linking of the public sector pensions.

If, following this year's review, I should wish to propose any changes in the arrangements set out in the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971, I shall be fully prepared to justify and, if necessary, to clarify them in the normal way.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he is satisfied with the adequacy of present departmental arrangements for the control of Civil Service manpower and costs; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. The present arrangements, which we kept under scrutiny, ensure that the levels of Civil Service manpower and associated administrative expenditure are reviewed regularly and that the levels of staff and administrative expenditure are related as closely as possible to the work to be done.

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

There are no provisions contained in Acts of Parliament, regulations or rules which are the responsibility of the Welsh Office, which are intended to discriminate against illegitimate children or the parents of illegitimate children.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy towards the proposed industrial strategy of the Welsh Development Agency that was submitted to him in early January 1977; when the details of this strategy will be made public; what is the total budget proposed by the agency for the strategy; and if he will make a statement.

The Agency has not yet submitted to me the strategy referred to in the Guidelines for the Industrial Investment Functions. I have received a copy of its draft "Statement of Policies and Programmes "for comment and I am considering this. The question of publication is a matter for the Agency.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he has been notified of any spillage of any nuclear material connected with the Dounreay fast reactor.

I have been informed of a minor incident in the laboratories at Dounreay on 15th February 1977. In the course of decontaminating an active liquid drain pipe line, a drum used to hold sediment from the drain leaked and caused a small amount of contamination outside the controlled area. I am informed that no one was exposed to any radiation hazard and that the sediment and contaminated earth were disposed of under authorised arrangements. The incident was not connected with the Dounreay fast reactor. The incident was reportable under the arrangements announced to the House on 2nd February 1977, since it involved some contamination outside a controlled area, and it will therefore be included in the quarterly report to be published by the HSE.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has or proposes to give BNOC a specific direction to place an order for one or more production platforms prior to normal requirements to aid employment in Scotland.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what further action he proposes to resolve the dispute with the Republic of Ireland over Blocks 132/15 and 133/11; and what steps he proposes to take to protect the accrued rights of current licensees.

Relations with the Government of the Republic of Ireland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. As the hon. Member knows my right hon. Friend has made conditional offers of licences for the two blocks. The holders of licences under the Petroleum (Production) Act 1934 will continue to enjoy the same rights to protection under the law as other persons in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether any plutonium recovered from the reprocessing of irradiated fuel elements sent to Windscale from foreign States has ever been returned to the country of origin.

Yes. Recovered plutonium has been returned to Italy, Japan, Germany and Canada. All exports of plutonium are, and have been, subject to the condition that the recipient accepts appropriate safeguards on re-

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what negotiations he or his Department has had with the trade unions represented at the nuclear power plant at Windscale concerning the implementation of the Report of the Bullock Committee on Industrial Democracy; and what has been the outcome of those negotiations.

None yet. I would of course be ready to receive representations from any source.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the existing arrangements for discussions between the unions and management at the nuclear power plant at Windscale.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the over run in both cost and time of the following Power stations: Dungeness B, Wylfa, and Hinkley Point B.

, Pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th February 1977; Vol. 925, c. 749], gave the following information:Wylfa has been commissioned and Hinkley Point "B" is currently in the process of being commissioned of Dungeness "B" is due in 1979. of Dungeness "B" is due in 1979. The CEGB has provided the following estimates of construction costs (excluding nuclear fuel) and commissioning dates for each of the stations:

BNFL has joint councils at company level in which pay and conditions of employment throughout the company are negotiated with union representatives. In addition, there are at Windscale a number of joint committees on which all local matters including safety are discussed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information is now available on the number of teachers successfully completing training last summer who were still seeking teaching posts in the following term.

Surveys of the employment of newly qualified teachers, conducted through the training institutions by the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers and on behalf of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, have now been completed and have been supplemented by surveys by my Department of the art teacher training centres and the colleges of education (technical). The table below shows in Column (2) the number of newly qualified teachers in each category reported as still seeking teaching posts in England and Wales in October 1976. Since these figures exclude a substantial

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement on the recent discussions she has had with the Lancashire County Council Education Authority concerning the introduction of a fully comprehensive system of secondary education in Rossendale.

We are aware that the area presents difficult geographical and organisational problems but hope that acceptable solutions will be found before too long.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will urge local education authorities to open schools' sports facilities during out of school hours as a gesture towards Sport for All, launched by the Minister for Sport.

Opening school sports facilities out of school hours is a long-standing and well-established practice encouraged as a matter of policy by my Department for at least a decade. Local education authorities themselves are best placed to decide to what extent their educational facilities can and should be used in this way. Last year the local authority associations issued a report to number of newly qualified teachers about whom the training institutions had no information, estimates of the total numbers in each category who were available for employment but had not obtained it at the time of the survey can be constructed only by assuming that those about whom no information was available were seeking posts in the same proportions as those reported on. These figures do not cover those newly-qualified teachers who were in occupations other than teaching. Estimated totals on this basis are shown in Column 3.authorities about the possibilities of multiple use of facilities for recreational use by the community.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement about her Department's policy towards sport and recreation for young people.

The opportunity for sport and recreation is an essential part of all educational provision. Leisure-time facilities for sport and rec. reation for young people over school age are also widely provided by the Youth Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether it is her intention to phase out the present grant for school uniforms; and, if so, when this will take effect.

These grants are made by local education authorities under discretionary powers and my right hon. Friend has no plans for withdrawing these powers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, using the same regional divisions as in the annex to her statement of 24th January 1977 regarding the teacher training system, if she will give, on the basis of the latest figures available to her Department, the number of higher education places, other than for teacher training, available in each region in both the public and private sectors.

The numbers of full-time and sandwich students undergoing higher education, other than in initial teacher training, in institutions in each region in the academic year 1975–76 were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will invite the Technician Education Council to reconsider its proposals to discontinue the Ordinary National Certificate in Engineering; and if she will make a statement.

The Technician Education Council is an independent body charged

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science for which areas historical data on the capital expenditure on primary and secondary schools is readily available.

I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which organisations were invited to submit nomina with developing a unified national system of courses for persons at all levels of technician occupations. The ONC in engineering is administered by the Joint Committee for Ordinary National Certificates and Diplomas in Engineering. It is Government policy that the awards of all joint committees shall be phased out and replaced by those of the Technician Education Council awards; but the timing is a matter for consultation between the Council and the relevant Joint Committee. No firm decision has yet been announced for the phasing out of the ONC in engineering.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the numbers of: (a) teachers and (b) administrators employed by local education authorities in the last year for which figures are available and 10 years ago.

The numbers of lecturers/teachers and of all other staff employed by local education authorities in England and Wales as published by the Department of Employment for June 1966 and as released by the Joint Manpower Watch for June 1976 are as follows:tions for invitations to each of the regional conferences she has organised on education.

The organisations listed below were invited to submit nominations for invitations.ORGANISATIONS INVITED TO SUBMIT NOMINATIONS FOR INVITATIONS TO REGIONAL CONFERENCESLocal Education Authorities in the area of each regional conference.G.C.E. and C.S.E. Examining bodies in the area of each regional conference.Regional Economic Planning Councils in the area of each regional conference.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will place in the Library a copy of his reply to the letter sent to him on 8th February by Mr. Hansjorg Bendel, of KÜsnadt, Switzerland on the subject of the damaging effect of the Bullock Committee Majority Report proposals on the British export effort.

I have done so today.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if there is likely to be a surplus in the air transport levy fund at the end of March 1977.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will seek to reduce the 2 per cent. levy on inclusive air holidays.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Neubert) on 11th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list in the Official Report details of assistance offered under the auspices of his Department to firms considering moving to areas designated as special development areas, or setting up new industrial units in such areas.

From August 1972 up to 31st December 1976 assistance has been made available under the Industry Act 1972 for projects located in the special development areas of England, Scotland and Wales as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many of the sector working parties mentioned the current high level of interest rates charged to industrial borrowers as being a problem; and what action he proposes to take to remedy these difficulties.

About 20 sector working parties specifically referred in their latest reports to difficulties caused by the high level of interest rates current when the reports were prepared. The Government's general view on this subject is set out in paragraph 8 of the paper "Industrial Strategy: The Government Response", copies of which were placed in the Library on 3rd February.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will be proposing any renegotiation of the