asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give details of the campaign during the summer of 1976 in the Press to persuade coloured people to join the police; how many inquiries resulted; how many applicants there were; and how many of these applications were accepted.

A limited programme of advertising in the ethnic minority Press was carried out by the Home Office as part of the national police recruitment campaign between June and August 1976. The advertisements appeared in a number of Asian and English language publications which circulate among the Asian and West Indina communities in this country. The main purpose was to present to members of these communities the opportunities which the police service offers rather than to attract direct applications. Nevertheless, 126 inquiries leading to 32 applications to join police forces in England and Wales were received. As far as is known, none of these applicants has joined the police, but the total number of members of the ethnic minorities serving rose from 152 in June to 191 at 31st March 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give details of the special advertising campaign designed to attract coloured persons to join the Metropolitan

Coloured Police Officers
Force				Constables	Sergeants	Total
Metropolitan Police	…	…	…	77	1	78
Greater Manchester Police	…	…	…	6	0	6
Merseyside Police	…	…	…	4	0	4
South Wales Police	…	…	…	1	0	1
West Midlands Police	…	…	…	27	1	28

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Plessey electronic communications equipment is used by the Prison Service and the Metropolitan Police; and what was the total value of such equipment acquired by each service in each of the last five years.

For this special advertising campaign advertisements were placed in the ethnic minority Press and a number of London newspapers. The total cost was £39,000. It produced 700 inquiries and 400 applications to join the Metropolitan Police. Since the end of 1975 the number of coloured officers serving in the Metropolitan Police has risen from 39 to 78.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost and what the cost per applicant of the national Press campaign to recruit coloured persons to serve in police forces.

The cost of the national campaign in the ethnic minority Press between the middle of June and the middle of August 1976 was £8,500. The resulting cost per applicant was £265·63.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in the Official Report details of the number of coloured police officers and their ranks at present serving in the following police forces: Metropolitan, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Wales and West Midlands.

The information is as follows:

So far as can be readily ascertained, no such equipment is in service with the Prison Service in England and Wales. The total contract value of such equipment acquired by the Metropolitan Police since 1972 is estimated to be £1·59 million. Information as to the value of equipment acquired in each year is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of male Asian immigrants to the United Kingdom in the years 1950 to 1977.

It is not practicable to make a reliable estimate of the numbers of male Commonwealth citizens who came to the United Kingdom from Asian countries before immigration control of Commonwealth citizens began in July 1962, when the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 came into force. The following table gives the readily available information:

	ACCEPTANCES FOR SETTLEMENT ON ARRIVAL AND ON REMOVAL OF TIME LIMIT
	Adult Asian men* from certain Commonwealth countries
	(000's)
	Accepted for settlement on arrival
	July to December 1962				…	1·5
	1963	…	…	…	…	23·4
	1964	…	…	…	…	8·4
	1965	…	…	…	…	7·5
	1966	…	…	…	…	4·6
	1967	…	…	…	…	5·4
	1968	…	…	…	…	5·0
	1969	…	…	…	…	2·7

					Accepted for settlement on arrival or on removal of time limit
1970	…	…	…	…	2·7
1971	…	…	…	…	3·0
1972	…	…	…	…	3·1
1973	…	…	…	…	1·4
1974	…	…	…	…	4·2
1975	…	…	…	…	6·1
1976 (provisional)			…	…	7·1
* Covers adult male citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

Adult male United Kingdom Passport holders
					Accepted for settlement on arrival or on removal of time limit
1969	…	…	…	…	1·7†
1970	…	…	…	…	2·4
1971	…	…	…	…	5·1
1972	…	…	…	…	12·0
1973	…	…	…	…	2·4‡
1974	…	…	…	…	5·8
1975	…	…	…	…	5·4
1976 (provisional)			…	…	4·5
† Accepted for settlement on arrival only.
‡ Excludes special voucher holders whose sex was not recorded; the number of male and female special voucher holders admitted was two thousand.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why a member of a private airport police force is not allowed to serve as a special constable in a public police force.

The appointment of special constables for any police area is a matter entirely within the discretion of the local chief officer of police. The Police Post-War Committee in its Fourth Report issued in 1947 recommended that members of private police forces should not be appointed or retained as special constables. Chief officers no doubt have regard to this recommendation, which has recently been endorsed by the Working Party on the Special Constabulary, whose report was published last month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the 18,428 persons, licensed under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 to perform experiments, have medical qualifications.

This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many of the 5,379,084 experiments performed during 1975 under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 were performed in hospitals;(2) how many of the 5,379,084 experiments performed during 1975 under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 were performed in universities;(3) how many of the 5,379,084 experiments performed during 1975 under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 were performed in medical schools.

Records are not maintained in a way which would enable figures to be given in the form requested, and it will be appreciated that hospitals, universities and medical schools are not always separate. The best estimate I can offer is that approximately 438,000 experiments were performed in hospitals—including units of the Medical Research Council—and 814,000 in universities. The figure for medical schools is included in these totals, in which there is an element of double counting.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will name the 65 registered premises where over 90 per cent. of all experiments were performed in 1975, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Putney (Mr. Jenkins) on 22nd November 1976; and if he will make a statement.

No, but I shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with the operation of the law concerning indecent display of books, magazines and posters in Central London; and if he will make a statement.

The law on this subject will be one of the matters we shall expect the proposed Departmental Committee on Obscenity, Indecency and Censorship to look into.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were proceeded against for offences relating to the sale of tobacco to children under 16 years of age during each year since 1969; and how many of these were found guilty.

The available information is as follows:

PERSONS PROCEEDED AGAINST IN MAGISTRATES' COURTS FOR OFFENCES AGAINST SECTION 7 OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS ACT 1933—BY RESULT
England and Wales
Year			Proceeded against	Number of persons Found guilty
1969	…	…	25	23
1970	…	…	22	22
1971	…	…	14	14
1972	…	…	18	14
1973	…	…	14	14
1974	…	…	30	28
1975	…	…	14	14

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those found guilty of offences in each of the main offence groups in the Metropolitan Police district during each of the last five years were in the 10 to 16 year age group.

Information for each of the last five years in the form requested is not readily available. The information for 1975 is set out in the table below. Such information as can be produced for other years is being prepared, and we will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

PERSONS AGED 10 AND UNDER 17 YEARS AS A PROPORTION OF ALL PERSONS FOUND GUILTY OF OFFENCES IN THE METROPOLITAN POLICE DISTRICT
By offence group 1975
	Percentages
Offence group
Violence against the person	7·8
Sexual offences	6·1
Burglary	33·3
Robbery	25·1
Theft and handling stolen goods	13·7
Fraud and forgery	3·1
Criminal damage	12·2
Other indictable offences	2·1
Total Indictable Offences	14·6
Non-indictable offences (including motoring)	1·1
Grand Total	4·0

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report what action is required to be taken by British residents of Polish origin who came to fight for Great Britain in the Second World War and who are currently deprived of the vote in the country that has become their home, before they can attain United Kingdom citizenship; what is the cost involved; and if, in respect of those with more than 30 years' residence in the United Kingdom, he will waive these charges, which are not applied to much more recently arrived citizens of the Commonwealth and the Irish Republic.

In order to qualify for a certificate of naturalisation, a national must satisfy the requirements laid down in Section 10 of the Second Schedule to the British Nationality Act 1948.The fee for the grant of a certificate is £70, An applicant also has to meet the cost of inserting advertisements in local newspapers, and if his application is witnessed by a commissioner for oaths or notary public there is a fee of £1, as there is also on the taking of the oath of allegiance.My right hon. Friend has concluded, as have his predecessors who have considered the matter, that it would not be practicable to exempt particular classes of applicant from the obligation to pay fees, which are applied towards the cost of dealing with applications.Since April 1975 Commonwealth citizens and citizens of the Republic of Ireland have paid fees for registration. The current fee for registration at the discretion of the Home Secretary is £35.

INDICTABLE OFFENCES RECORDED AS KNOWN TO THE POLICE AND INDICTABLE OFFENCES CLEARED UP—BYOFFENCE GROUP METROPOLITAN POLICE DISTRICT
Numbers and percentage
	1971			1972
	Recorded as known	Cleared up	Percentage cleared up	Recorded as known	Cleared up	Percentage cleared up
Violence against the person	7,778	5,608	72	8,261	5,888	71
Sexual offences	2,726	1,965	72	2,686	1,868	70
Burglary	79,898	16,013	20	79,224	15,611	20
Robbery	2,727	966	35	3,167	1,032	33
Theft and handling stolen goods	220,351	57,116	26	220,924	58,362	26
Fraud and forgery	25,305	17,661	70	31,787	22,039	69
Criminal damage	5,936	1,349	23	7,901	2,216	28
Other offences	373	349	94	495	468	95
Total	345,094	101,027	29	354,445	107,484	30

Numbers and percentages
	1973			1974
	Recorded as known	Cleared up	Percentage cleared up	Recorded as known	Cleared up	Percentage cleared up
Violence against the person	9,368	6,699	72	9,585	6,444	67
Sexual offences	2,999	2,087	70	2,990	2,096	70
Burglary	74,192	13,642	18	88,163	14,955	17
Robbery	2,680	920	34	3,151	903	29
Theft and handling stolen goods	223,210	57,598	26	265,207	66,179	25
Fraud and forgery	31,995	21,293	67	30,080	19,500	65
Criminal damage	10,269	3,052	30	14,079	3,783	27
Other offences	537	506	94	544	497	91
Total	355,250	105,797	30	413,799	114,357	28

	Numbers and percentages
	1975
	Recorded as known	Cleared up	Percentage cleared up
Violence against the person	10,967	6,824	62
Sexual offences	2,550	1,660	65
Burglary	99,579	15,107	15
Robbery	4,452	1,147	26
Theft and handling stolen goods	285,980	65,943	23
Fraud and forgery	30,825	20,483	66
Criminal damage	17,740	4,403	25
Other offences	485	429	88
Total	452,578	115,996	26

The statistics for 1976 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the number of indictable offences in each of the main offence groups which were (a) known to the police and (b) cleared up in the Metropolitan Police district during each of the last five years, indicating the percentage of known cases cleared up in each offence group.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment in view of the inner city blight and desolation particularly in the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Area, if he will further consider the need for Government aid to the West Yorkshire area, particularly in Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield.

As my right hon. Friend said in his statement on 6th April—[Vol. 929, c. 1226–46.]—a large measure of priority must be given in the early years to the regeneration of the inner areas of the major cities to whom the Government are offering partnerships. Other cities and towns will, however, continue to have access to the Urban Programme, and on an increasing scale in later years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will increase the amount of finance which local authorities can pro vide for mortgages.

Additional finance cannot be made available overall, but the arrangements announced by my right hon. Friend on 6th April will enable local authorities to adjust their capital expenditure programmes within generous limits to increase the amount available for mortgages.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is aware that, through no fault of their own, local authorities frequently have to charge higher mortgage rates than building societies; if he will bring forward proposals to allow local authorities to advance new mortgages and to protect existing mortgages in such a way that they do not pay excessive interest rates; and if he will make a statement.

This question is being considered as part of the general review of housing policy to be published shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the time taken in reaching decisions on planning appeals covering major projects.

Information in the form requested is not available. In March 1977 planning appeals decided by my right hon. Friend following a local inquiry took an average of 42 weeks from start to decision. Major projects would be included in those appeals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning appeals covering mineral projects undertaken over the past two years have been concluded (a) within the two months statutory period, (b) within three months, (c) within four months and (d) over four months.

There is no statutory period for the determination of planning appeals. During the two years ended on 30th April 1977, 50 appeals concerned with applications for planning permission for the winning and working of minerals and three enforcement appeals relating to mineral workings were determined. In addition, determination were made of two applications for planning permission for mineral working which were called in for the Secretary of State's decision. In no case was the determination made within four months of the date on which the appeal was lodged or the application called in, as the case may be.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, of all planning appeals dealt with by his Department what percentage relates to (a) housing, (b) construction in industry and commerce, (c) mineral projects, and (d) other; and what is the average time taken to dispense with appeals in each classification.

For the year ended 31st March 1977, 48 per cent. of the appeals decided related to housing development—including residential caravan sites—6 per cent. related to building in industry and commerce, 0·1 per cent. related to mineral projects and 45·9 per cent. related to other development. The information sought relating to average times is not available in the form requested but the average periods between receipt and decision taken by appeals decided in March 1977 were as follows:

42 weeks where the appeal was decided by my right hon. Friend following a local inquiry (14 per cent. of cases).

37 weeks where the appeal was decided by my right hon. Friend on written representations (9 per cent. of cases).

26 weeks where the appeal was decided by an inspector on written representation (19 per cent. of cases).

22 weeks where the appeal was decided by an inspector on written representations (58 per cent. of cases).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will update the information given to the hon. Member for Merioneth (Mr. Thomas) which was published in the Official Report, 27th July 1976, c. 166–7.Mr. Armstrong: The relevant figures for England and Wales are as follows:

		(a)	(b)
		Average subsidy from central Government and rate fund contribution, excluding rent rebate, per council house	Average tax relief and option mortgage subsidy per mortgagor
	…	£	£
1965–66	…	29	30
1966–67	…	30	34
1967–68	…	32	38
1968–69	…	36	41
1969–70	…	44	49
1970–71	…	48	58
1971–72	…	50	62
1972–73	…	46	73
1973–74	…	65	101
1974–75	…	130	136
1975–76	…	161	170
1976–77	…	206	214

The figures for 1976–77 are provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of claimants eligible for but not claiming a rate rebate; on what basis his Department's calculation is made; what is the total value of the unclaimed rebate; and what are the corresponding figures in the past five years

I estimate the number of householders who were eligible for rate rebates but who did not claim to be about 1·3 million for 1974–75 and 1·17 million for 1975–76.These figures are derived from an estimate of the numbers eligible for rebate based on the, Family Expenditure Survey and from returns by local authorities of the number of rebates granted. I have no reliable basis for estimating the amount unclaimed.Similar information for the former rate rebate scheme which operated until 1974 is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he will take in the case of Mr. H. Towers of Wigston, Leicester, who has been waiting for over three years for the home loss payment to which he was entitled and has still not received any interest payment on that sum.

I understand that a home loss payment was made to Mr. Towers by the Leicestershire County Council in March. There is no statutory provision for the payment of interest on home loss payments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will publish a list of all the national park authorities and the date on which they each publish their national park plan, indicating if any of them will have failed to publish their plans by 1st April 1977.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 1st April 1977; Vol. 929, c. 273], gave the following information:The answer should have included reference to the three national park authorities which will publish their plans later, viz:Northumbria, North York Moors and the Peak District.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has received an application under Section 64 of the Employment Protection Act 1975 from former employees of Morgan Heating Services (South West) Limited; if he will call for a report on the circumstances of redundancies of the Bristol branch of that company; and if he will make a statement.

No. Since the firm is not insolvent within the meaning of Section 69 of the Employment Protection Act 1975 the former employees are not yet covered by the insolvency provisions of the Act.The circumstances leading up to the redundancies are complicated. I have asked my officials to prepare a report. I will write to my hon. Friend letting him know the outcome as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees sacked for refusing to join a trade union have subsequently been reinstated after industrial tribunals have found that they were unfairly dismissed.

Up-to-date information is not yet available but I am obtaining it and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men were employed in the steel industry in 1967 in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively; and how many he estimates will be employed in 1982.

The number of males employed in the steel industry in June 1967 in England, Scotland and Wales was 203,800, 30,100 and 70,400, respectively.Rationalisation, improved technology and higher productivity have reduced the number of workers in the industry, and further reductions are likely. It is not, however, possible to forecast with any degree of certainty how many workers will be employed in the industry in 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many claims have been made under Schedule 11 to the Employment Protection Act 1975; how many have been determined; and with what result.

I understand that the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service has received 434 claims formally reported under Schedule 11 to the Employment Protection Act, up to and including 30th April.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why no projects under the Job Creation Programme have been approved in the London borough of Bromley.

I understand from the Manpower Services Commission that a project has been approved for the London borough of Bromley.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he is taking to educate employers regarding the problems and abilities of deaf school leavers.

This is a function carried out by careers officers of local education authorities, who work in close collaboration with disablement resettlement officers of the Employment Service Agency.The agency publishes a leaflet giving advice to employers about employing those who are deaf or hard of hearing. More generally, I understand that the MSC is to publish shortly a new guide to employers on the employment of disabled people, designed to help them make the fullest use of the abilities of disabled workers.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will arrange for the Cowan Report on the reorganisation of secondary education and the working party report on alternative transfer arrangements to be debated by the Northern Ireland Committee.

If right hon. and hon. Members wish it, the Government will be happy to assist in arranging for a debate to take place in the Northern Ireland Committee, although this may not now be possible before the announcement that my noble Friend hopes to make on these matters in the near future. Right hon. and hon. Members may prefer to wait for the statement before holding the meeting of the Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether he will consult with insurance companies about the exclusion of vandalism and malicious damage from policies covering property in Northern Ireland with a view to making these policies the same throughout the United Kingdom;(2) whether he will consult with the insurance companies about the exclusion of vandalism and malicious damage from policies covering house contents in Northern Ireland with a view to making these policies the same throughout the United Kingdom;(3) if he will consult with insurance companies with the object of allowing householders in Northern Ireland the same protection over their furniture as over the house itself;(4) if he will consult with the Building Societies Association about the possibility of its agreeing that the exclusion clause on vandalism and malicious damage should be deleted on property on which it has advanced a mortgage.

We have been in contact with the insurance companies and building societies, but the terms of their policies are their responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) skilled mechanical craftsmen, (b) joiners, and (c) non-industrial staff are likely to be declared redundant as a result of the decision to close the Quality Assurance Directorate (Weapons) Workshops at Woolwich Arsenal.

The number of skilled mechanical craftsmen and joiners who are likely to be declared redundant is dependent on continuing efforts to redeploy them elsewhere in other Ministry of Defence establishments at various locations in the United Kingdom or in other Government employment locally. At the present time it is considered likely that non-industrial redundancy will be avoided.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many places will have to be found for apprentices still undergoing training after 1st April 1978, following the closure of the Quality Assurance Directorate (Weapons) training workshop at Woolwich Arsenal; and at which defence establishments.

Thirty apprentices will still be undergoing training after 1st April 1978, and at any one time a proportion of these will need to go to other Government establishments to complete their workshop training. Arrangements are being made to find suitable places for this training.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many posts for third secretaries and above there are at British embassies in German-speaking countries; and how many are currently occupied by Foreign and Commonweath Office personnel who have passed the Civi Service examination in German;(2) how many posts for third secretaries and above there are at British embassies in French-speaking countries; and how many are currently occupied by Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel who have passed the Civil Service examination in French;(3) how many posts for third secretaries and above there are at the British Embassy in Moscow; and how many are currently occupied by Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel who have passed the Civil Service examination in Russian;(4) how many posts for third secretaries and above there are at British embassies in Spanish-speaking countries; and how many are currently occupied by Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel who have passed the Civil Service examination in Spanish;(5) how many Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel of the rank of third secretary and above have passed the Civil Service examination in German;(6) how many Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel of the rank of third secretary and above have passed the Civil Service examination in French;(7) how many Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel of the rank of third secretary and above have passed the Civil Service examination in Russian;(8) how many Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel of the rank of third secretary and above have passed the Civil Service examination in Spanish;(9) how many posts for third secretaries and above there are at the British Embassy in Teheran; and how many are currently occupied by Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel who have passed the Civil Service examination in Persian;(10) how many Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel of the rank of third secretary and above have passed the Civil Service examination in Japanese; and how many at each level of proficiency;(11) how many posts for third secretaries and above there are at the British embassies in Arabic-speaking countries; and how many are currently occupied by Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel who have passed the Civil Service examination in Arabic;(12) how many posts for third secretaries and above there are at the British Embassy in Japan; and how many are currently occupied by Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel who have passed the Civil Service examination in Japanese;(13) how many Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel of the rank of third secretary and above have passed the Civil Service examination in Portuguese.(14) how many Foreign and Commonwealth Office civil servants of the rank of third secretary and above have passed the Civil Service examination in Arabic; and how many at each level of proficiency;(15) how many posts for third secretaries and above there are at British embassies in Portuguese-speaking countries; and how many are currently occupied by Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel who have passed the Civil Service examination in Portuguese.

The information requested is set out in Tables 1 and 2 below. It relates to Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel in Grades 1–8 and equivalent as at 5th May 1977, and covers all such personnel serving in the countries specified including consular posts and missions accredited to international organisations. The numbers of officers who have passed Civil Service Commission language examinations do not take account of examinations held in February and March, the results of which had not been received on 5th May.

TABLE 1
Column (a)—Number of posts in Grades 1–8 (and equivalent) in the countries specified.
Column (b)—Number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel in these grades currently serving in the countries specified who have passed a Civil Service Commission examination in the language.
Column (c)—Total number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel in those grades who have passed a Civil Service Commission examination in the language.
Countries	(a)	(b)	(c)
Arabic-speaking	113	46	171
French-speaking	213	44	203
German-speaking	135	48	125
Portuguese-speaking	32	15	48
Spanish-speaking	97	34	123
Iran	16	3	30
Japan	30	13	62
USSR	21	10	81

TABLE 2
	Number of Civil Service Commission language examination passes at each level
Language	Lower	Intermediate	Higher	Advance	Total
Arabic	8	63	99	1	171
Japanese	4	18	22	18	62

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent Conference on Humanitarian Law in Geneva.

The conference now under way in Geneva is the fourth and final session of the Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development of Humanitarian Law in Armed Conflict which was convoked by the Swiss Government in the spring of 1974. It is due to end on 10th June.The conference is considering the draft texts of two protocols which revise and supplement the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Hague Rules of Warfare (1907). The first protocol would extend the provisions of the Geneva Conventions concerned with the protection of victims of international armed conflicts, and in particular the civilian populations. The second protocol would break new ground by establishing a code for non-international armed conflicts, which at present are covered only by the minimal provisions of Article 3 common to the four Geneva Conventions. The two draft protocols were prepared by the International Committee of the Red Cross in consultation with Government experts.United Kingdom experts took part in these preparatory consultations and the United Kingdom delegation has played an active rôle sessions of the conference.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if the proposed EEC Council directive on the approximation of the laws of member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs for sale to the ultimate consumer were adopted, whether he expects the provisions of Articles 4(1) and 11 would enable bakery and confectionery products to be totally exempted from the need to supply information under Article 3; and, if so, whether such derogation from the primary requirements of the directive would be declared necessary and the Commission notified accordingly;(2) what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to the present proposal for an EEC Council directive on the approximation of the laws of member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs to the ultimate consumer; and if he will make a statement dealing particularly with the effect which the implementation of the same might have on the bakers and confectioners of the United Kingdom;(3) what representations he has received from individual bakers, confectioners and from their trade associations concerning the effect of the implementation of the present proposal for an EEC Council directive on the approximation of the laws of member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs for sale to the ultimate consumer;(4) whether, if the proposed EEC Council directive on the approximation of the laws of member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs for the ultimate consumer were adopted, he expects that British bakers and confectioners would be required to provide full particulars under articles 3 and 5B in respect of each loaf of bread and each item of confectionery sold whether or not prepackaged; if so, what is the estimated cost of providing such information; and what will be the likely percentage increase in the cost of living.

As I said in the House on 21st April—[Vol. 930, c. 517–39]—the Commission's proposals are, in general, acceptable to us. There are however some particular provisions about which we still have reservations. We are seeking to resolve these matters as discussions proceed.We have had 17 letters of representations from bakers and confectioners covering the provisions of the proposed directive in general and ingredient listing and exemptions for the small baker in particular. Officials have met representatives from the food industry covering the interests of bakers and confectioners on twelve occasions.It is proposed that, where food is sold without pre-packaging or where it is packaged on the sales premises at the consumers' request or for immediate sale, member States may adopt their own labelling requirements. Interested organisations representing the food industry and consumers will be consulted on any proposals to introduce such national requirements.It will not be possible until the final form of the directive is known to estimate the cost of implementing its provisions for those foods which will have to comply with them. Our objective is to keep cost increases to a minimum.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the additional cost to the United Kingdom balance of payments of the agreed increase in EEC farm prices; and how much of this he estimates can be attributed to the devaluation of the green pound.

I estimate that in the period to end March 1978, the farm prices package, including the effects of the butter subsidy and the United Kingdom contribution to the Community Budget, may add about £30 million to our foreign exchange costs. About one-quarter of this is attributable to the devaluation of the green pound. But in the longer term I would expect there to be a foreign exchange saving due to lower imports.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the latest available figures from the EEC Commission showing the EEC prices for farm products as a percentage of world market prices; and if he will give the name and reference of any official EEC publication containing this information.

Pages 199/200 of "The Agricultural Situation in the Community 1976 Report" published by the EEC Commission in January 1977 give the following figures, relating to 1975 or 1975–76, of EEC entry prices as a percentage of what are described as "world market" prices. But since the prices used to represent "world market" prices are in general based on the lowest offer prices of individual consignments they do not represent the prices at which regular trade takes place:

Common wheat	…	…	…	124
Durum wheat	…	…	…	145
Husked rice	…	…	…	137
Barley	…	…	…	117

Item (and CCT number)		Common Levy £/100kg	ACA £/100kg	MCA £/100kg
Common wheat (10.01A)	…	5·2694	1·0583	2·325
Barley (10.03)	…	3·1664	0·9957	2·037
Maize (10.05B)	…	3·7081	0·9501	2·061
White sugar (17.01A)	…	11·5516	0	6·852
Butter 82–84 per cent. fat content (04.03A)	…	106·7612*	25·50	42·480*
Cheddar cheese (04.04E I(b) 1 bb)	…	93·3185*	5·0467	38·344*
Skimmed milk powder (04.02A II (b) 1)	…	52·2727	0	19·455
Boneless frozen beef (02.01 A II (b) 4 bb 33)	…	115·2590	6·1949	38·346
Lard (15.01 A II)	…	5·2739	1·0383	5·564
Pigmeat: Carcases (02.01 A III(a) 1)	…	16·4845	3·2500	17·389
Salted bacon sides (02.06B I(a) 2aa)	…	22·2570	4·2238	23·475
Eggs (04.05A I (b))	…	21·7817†	2·4620	5·243
Poultry meat ("70 per cent. chickens") (02.02A I(b))	…	13·0326‡	2·0997	4·502
* There are special rates for New Zealand butter and cheese.
† Includes a supplementary levy of 20ua/100kg (£11·3921)		(applicable on imports from certani
‡ Includes a supplementary levy of 5ua/100kg (£2·8480)		countries of origin).

Note: Regulations provide for supplementary levies to operate in these two sectors when average free at frontier offer prices fall below sluice gate prices.Offer prices relate to consignments of varying characteristics depending on circumstances

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report the current EEC common levies, expressed in £ sterling at the current market rate of exchange, for: common wheat, barley, maize, white sugar, butter, Cheddar cheese, skimmed milk powder, boneless frozen beef, lard, pigmeat, eggs and poultrymeat, together with the lowest offer price, the monetary compensatory amount and the accession compensatory amount for the United Kingdom.

EEC common import levies and accession compensatory amounts are expressed in sterling after conversion at the representative rate. When converted to sterling at the current market rate of exchange used for the purposes of monetary compensatory amounts (£1=1·27402 ua) the levies and ACAs at 10th May 1977 for the items requested are as follows. United Kingdom mcas are fixed in sterling and those shown below are in operation on the same date.and information about the lowest offer prices is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance will be offered by the British Government towards the triennial Conference of the British Commonwealth Ex-Services League to be held in Edinburgh on 23rd to 27th May.

I am glad to say that the British Government are prepared to make a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of this conference. In agreeing to make this grant, the Government have in mind the important work being done by the British Commonwealth Ex-Services League towards the welfare of ex-Service men throughout the Commonwealth and its contribution towards intra-Common-wealth relations.Parliament will be asked to approve the necessary Supplementary Estimate in due course. In the meantime, an advance will be sought from the Contingencies Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received since the Budget about road haulage costs.

Seven.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will introduce legislation to encourage the use of seat belts by providing that the non-use of seat belts will in future result in the limitation of liability to third party insurance only.

I do not believe that this would have the desired effect, and it would create unjustifiable hardship. In some recent court cases compensation has been reduced where the injured party was not wearing a seat belt, but this has had no measureable effect on wearing rates.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy towards improved productivity on British Railways.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is satisfied with current levels of productivity on British Rail.

I always welcome improved productivity in transport, as we must all do, throughout British industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy towards trunk route electrification on British Railways.

I look at any schemes the Railways Board submits to me on their merits.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Central Transport Consultative Committee and other bodies on proposals to replace rail by bus services; and whether he will make a statement.

I have noted the views of the Central Transport Consultative Committee on the Railways Board's proposals and I have heard many other views from time to time.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any estimate from the British Railways Board of the number of track miles on which passenger services may have to be withdrawn by 1986 in the event of a continued flat investment level for British Railways beyond 1981.

No, not of that precise kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with rail passengers about future rail policy.

Frequent; as a rail passenger myself I am always listening and taking note.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the present track mileage of British Railways; if any plans exist to cut down on this in the next year; and whether any agreement on this has been arrived at with the National Union of Railwaymen, the Amalgamated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Footplatemen, and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association.

22,311 on 1st January 1977. I know of no such plans; the question of agreement, therefore, does not arise.

Evans asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of railway lines have been closed in Wales during the last 20 years; and how many remain fully active for freight and transport.

							(£million at outturn prices)
	…	…	…	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976
Eastern	…	…	…	18·7	22·6	30·1	47·2	39·2
London Midland	…	…	…	28·3	25·7	24·3	30·9	29·0
Scottish	…	…	…	14·1	12·0	10·8	17·1	15·8
Southern	…	…	…	14·7	18·3	23·9	28·6	21·1
Western	…	…	…	10·0	11·1	13·2	16·3	11·9

Investment not directly attributable to any one region has not been included.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the present stage of discussions within the EEC on the proposal to harmonise maximum lorry weights.

The Commission is completing detailed proposals to be submitted to the Council of Ministers for decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport on the basis of what information about the relative safety of the alternatives he arrived at his decision to approve the proposal of British Railways to install an automatic half-barrier installation on the level crossing at Bramley, Hampshire; and what powers he has to rescind his consent if shown to be based upon wrong information.

The relative safety of various methods of level crossing protection can be derived from the statistics of level crossing accidents published in the Annual Report on the Safety Record of the Railways in Great Britain. Under Section 66(7) of the British Transport Commission Act 1957 I have power to

Full information is not readily available, but I understand that 832 miles have been closed to passenger services. 980 miles are still fully operational for freight and passenger services.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the level of investment in each British Railways region for each of the last five years.

I understand from the British Railways Board that the following sums have been invested in rail services in each of their regions:amend or revoke any level crossing order made under that Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the defects recently discovered in road joints on the elevated sections of the M6 motorway in the West Midlands.

The joints installed when the viaducts were built were of the buried type. This means that there is no discontinuity in the surface at the joint, thus giving a smoother ride. Although they have been used successfully elsewhere, many of them broke down on the M6, and replacement by a different type of joint is now being carried out progressively.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to implement EEC directive 1463/70 about the introduction of tachographs into lorries.

I have nothing to add to my previous statements.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next proposes to meet the Chairman of the National Bus Company.

This evening.

Evans asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish his White Paper on Transport policy.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate).

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the Chairman of the British Railways Board.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to Questions from the hon. Members for Banbury (Mr. Marten), Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. Henderson) and Daventry (Mr. Jones).

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the performance of passenger transport executives in running public transport.

The way in which passenger transport executives exercise their functions is a matter for the metropolitan county council concerned, as the passenger transport authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the level of Government funding for public transport services in inner cities.

Expenditure on public transport serving the needs of inner cities falls within local authority responsibility for local transport. The Government provide support through rate support grant and transport supplementary grant in England, and through RSG alone in Scotland. These are block grants, and cannot be related to any separate part of local authority expenditure, but the Government expect local authorities with inner city problems to reflect these in their transport policies and programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what response he made to the Transport and General Workers Union suggestion that there should be a Government committee of inquiry into the question of drivers' overnight accommodation.

My right hon. Friend is considering the suggestion and intends to discuss it further with the Transport and General Workers Union.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport by what percentage the annual average volume of traffic on United Kingdom roads has risen since 1945; and by what percentage the average annual number of casualties has risen over the same period.

I regret that the information is not available in the precise form requested but the following is available:

AVERAGE ANNUAL RISE IN TRAFFIC AND CASUALTIES 1949–1976. GREAT BRITAIN
			Percentage
Motor Traffic	…	…	+6·4
Road casualties	…	…	+2·4

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list, respectively, the totals of persons killed or seriously injured as a result of two-wheeled motor vehicle accidents in each of the years 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976.

I regret the information is not readily available in the precise form requested but the following information is available:

CASUALTIES AMONGST USERS OF TWO-WHEELED MOTOR VEHICLES: GREAT BRITAIN, 1966–76
				Killed	Seriously injured
1966	…	…	…	1,134	21,582
1967	…	…	…	920	18,737
1968	…	…	…	877	17,114
1969	…	…	…	791	15,592
1970	…	…	…	761	15,378
1971	…	…	…	800	14,782
1972	…	…	…	729	13,380
1973	…	…	…	750	13,791
1974	…	…	…	796	13,905
1975	…	…	…	838	15,775
1976	…	…	…	990	18,861

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what study he has made of the developments and research taking place in tyre technology in repairing tyres by the use of an aerosol containing a mixture of rubber foam, gas and liquid; if the Road Research Laboratory is working on this project; and if he will make a statement.

Such aerosol sealants are not currently the subject of research by this laboratory. They are liable to disguise damage to carcases of tyres, and a current British Standard for tyre repairs precludes their use either for temporary or for permanent purposes.

Lessee			Service Areas
Trust Houses Forte Ltd	…	…	Scratchwood	…	M1
			Newport Pagnell	…	M1
			Woodall	…	M1
			Fleet	…	M3
			Gordano	…	M5
			Corley	…	M6
			Keele	…	M6
			Charnock Richard	…	M6
			Burton wood	…	M62
Granada Motorway Services Ltd.	…	…	Toddington	…	M1
			Woolley Edge	…	M1
			Heston	…	M4
			Leigh Delamere	…	M4
			Frankley	…	M5
			Exeter	…	M5—under construction
			Southwaite	…	M6
			Birch	…	M62
			Washington-Birtley	…	A1(M)
Rank Leisure Services Ltd.	…	…	Farthing Corner	…	M2
			Aust	…	M4
			Hilton Park	…	M6
			Knutsford	…	M6
			Forton	…	M6
Ross Motorway Services Ltd	…	…	Leicester Forest East.	…	M1
			Membury	…	M4
			Hartshead Moor	…	M62
Galleon Roadchef Ltd	…	…	Taunton Deane	…	M5
			Sandbach	…	M6
			Rownhams	…	M27
Kenning Motor Group	…	…	Strensham	…	M5
			Anderton	…	M61
Blue Boar Group	…	…	Rothersthorpe	…	M1—under construction
			Watford Gap	…	M1
Mobil Oil Company Ltd.	…	…	Michael Wood	…	M5
			Burton West	…	M6
Mecca Ltd.	…	…	Trowell	…	M1
BP Oil Company Ltd	…	…	Killington Lake	…	M6
Westmorland Motorway Services Ltd	…	…	Tebay West	…	M6

Rent receipts							£
1966–67	…	…	…	…	…	…	461,00
1967–68	…	…	…	…	…	…	453,00
1969–70	…	…	…	…	…	…	577,00
1970–71	…	…	…	…	…	…	643,00
1971–72	…	…	…	…	…	…	851,00
1971–72	…	…	…	…	…	…	822,00
1972–73	…	…	…	…	…	…	1,442,000
1973–74	…	…	…	…	…	…	1,905,00
1974–75	…	…	…	…	…	…	2,877,000
1975–76	…	…	…	…	…	…	3,256,00

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those organisations benefiting from motorway concessions, together with the amount each paid for the benefit by outlet for each year for the last 10 years or whatever shorter time the concession has been in existance.

It is not our practice to divulge the details of individual contracts with the motorway service area operators. A list of the operators with the service areas they operate and a table showing the total annual receipts of rent for the last 10 years for which figures are yet available are given below:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how the cost of each concession granted on the motorway is computed; and what method he uses to grant such concession.

Motorway service areas are leased, usually for 50 years, to their operators after competitive tenders for the development of the site. My Department pays the capital cost of the site and of the necessary engineering works on it. The operator pays for the catering buildings and petrol filling stations. Tenders are judged on the scale, layout and appearance of the development proposed and on the rent offered, which is composed in part of a fixed amount and in part of a varying percentage of gross turnover. No tender is accepted unless the expected receipt of rent represents a reasonable return on the Department's capital expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the driving test centres in Greater Manchester, and state the average time people have to wait from first applying until they can take their test at each of these centres.

The position on 29th April was as follows:

Driving Test Centres in Greater Manchester				Waiting period (weeks)
Bolton	…	…	…	9
Bury	…	…	…	13
Didsbury	…	…	…	11
Failsworth	…	…	…	11
Reddish	…	…	…	16
Rochdale	…	…	…	11
Sale	…	…	…	7
Strangeways	…	…	…	14
Whalley Range	…	…	…	15
Wigan	…	…	…	14
Withington	…	…	…	9

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what interest his Department has taken with motor manufacturers in seeking to reduce the emission of fuel exhaust.

Since 1973 all new vehicles have had to conform to strict standards of construction to limit the emission of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. These requirements have been made more stringent for vehicles first used from 1st April this year, and standards are to be introduced for nitrogen oxides within the next two to three years. The United Kingdom is currently involved in consideration of yet stricter standards for all three types of pollutants within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will allow the improvement of Todwick and Anstow crossroads on the A57 to proceed without delay.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my letter of 11th May, which he should by now have received.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to launch a national advertising campaign to explain the purpose of the new geometric motorway diversion signs.

A national advertising campaign would not be justified, but leaflets to explain the purpose of the new signs will be produced in the near future for distribution to motorists. Also, the signs will be illustrated in the Department's booklet "Know Your Traffic Signs" in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what powers county councils now have to alter and mark roads without reference to him where parking is forbidden or restricted although the original authority was given by him.

Under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967, as amended by the Transport Act 1968 and subsequent legislation, county councils have wide powers for the regulation of traffic on roads for which they are the highway authority without reference to the Secretary of State. These powers can be used to vary or revoke traffic regulation orders on these roads, whether the original orders were made by the authority themselves or by another authority and, in the majority of cases, whether or not the original orders were confirmed by a Minister. Only in a minority of cases, mainly where the variation order would introduce or perpetuate a denial of access by vehicles to premises for more than eight hours in 24, would the consent of the Secretary of State be required.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give an up-to-date estimate of the cost of outstanding highway schemes in the North West Region, stating the mileage and

					Estimated start	Mileage	Estimated cost (at November 1976 prices)£ million
A6M Stockport North/South bypass	…	…	…	…	c	6·5	22·0
A41 Improvement at Chester	…	…	…	…	d	3·0	4·0
A49 Tarporley bypass	…	…	…	…	c	1·7	0·5
A51 Chester-Tarvin	…	…	…	…	c	3·7	2·0
A52 Barthomley link to M6	…	…	…	…	c	4·0	3·0
A54 Kelsall bypass	…	…	…	…	b	2·1	3·0
A56 Haslingden bypass	…	…	…	…	b	2·5	7·5
A56 Accrington E bypass	…	…	…	…	b	4·1	11·0
A59 Mellor Brook-Whalley	…	…	…	…	f	7·4	8·0
A59 Bickerstaffe-Bretherton stage 1	…	…	…	…	c	14·1	16·5
A59 Bickerstaffe-Bretherton stage 2	…	…	…	…	f		14·5
A59 Bretherton-Hutton	…	…	…	…	f	3·7	6·0
A59 Commercial Hotel-Crooks House	…	…	…	…	f	2·4	1·5
A59 Preston Southern bypass	…	…	…	…	f	4·8	24·0
A59 Stoop Hill Plantation	…	…	…	…	f	1·5	0·5
M56 Hapsford-Stoak	…	…	…	…	b	2·6	6·0
M56 Stoak interchange	…	…	…	…	b	2·1	4·5
M56 Stoak-Powey Lane	…	…	…	…	b	1·4	3·5
M58 Aintree-Skelmersdale	…	…	…	…	b	8·0	26·0
M58 Skelmersdale-M6	…	…	…	…	u	3·4	2·0
M63 Stockport east-west bypass	…	…	…	…	b	2·4	15·0
M63/66 Manchester outer orbital, Portwood-Denton			…	…	c	3·7	24·5
M65 M6/M1-Whitebirk	…	…	…	…	b	10·2	32·0
M65 Whitebirk-Hyndburn	…	…	…	…	b	2·1	9·0
M65 Hyndburn-Huncoat Junction	…	…	…	…	b	2·9	9·5
M65 Huncoat Junction-Burnley	…	…	…	…	b	2·5	9·5
M66 Bury Easterly bypass (Northern section)		…	…	…	u	5·8	18·5
M66 Manchester outer orbital, Denton-Middleton			…	…	d	9·4	57·0
M67 Hyde bypass	…	…	…	…	u	3·2	16·0
M67 Denton relief road	…	…	…	…	b	1·3	11·5
A483 Chester southern bypass-Welsh Border		…	…	…	c	2·4	3·5
A523 Macclesfield inner relief road	…	…	…	…	c	1·1	5·5
A523 Improvement between Macclesfield and Hazel Grove				…	f	7·9	12·0
A580 Grade Separation at Irlam	…	…	…	…	u	0·7	9·0
A590 Dalton in Furness bypass	…	…	…	…	c	2·2	6·0
A590 Diversion High Newton	…	…	…	…	c	2·4	3·0
A590 Meathop-Sampool Bridge	…	…	…	…	b	3·8	5·0
A590 Ulverston diversion stage 3	…	…	…	…	b	0·6	0·5
A590 Greenodd diversion	…	…	…	…	b	0·6	2·0
A590 Arrad Foot diversion	…	…	…	…	a	0·9	1·0
A590 Improvement east of Newby Bridge		…	…	…	c	1·0	1·0
A628 Improvement and bypasses east and west of National Park(formerly A616 Manchester-Sheffield)		…	…	…	d	Not yet determined	Not yet determined
A5117/A550 Junction improvement	…	…	…	…	f	Nil	2–0
Start dates are quoted in bands:
(a) 1977.
(b) 1978 and 1979.
(c) 1980–82.
(d) 1983–85.
(e) after 1985.
(f) no start date determined.
(u) under construction.

Trunk road schemes in the North-West are listed in the attached table. The phasing of expenditure depends on many factors and cannot be predicted accurately. The table indicates the expected start date of schemes; most will be built with 2-year contracts.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will extend the area in which industrial fishing has been banned.

There is no area in which industrial fishing is currently banned. Under the Norway Pout (Prohibition of Fishing) Order 1977 the fishing of Norway pout in an area of the North Sea was banned from 21st February to 31st March. The continuation of this ban after 1st August is to be the subject of a proposal to be submitted by the EEC Commission before that date. The purpose of the ban is to reduce the damaging effect on immature white fish stocks taken as by-catches in Norway pout fishing, and the area concerned is that where most protection can be given to these stocks. The case for extending the area and the period to which the prohibition applies will be kept under consideration in relation to the Commission's proposal.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what sum has to date been spent in the Cowal area, out of funds earmarked for expenditure on infrastructure in areas where oil-related industries are located.

Since the scheme of special financial assistance began in 1975–76, grants totalling £14·7 million have been allocated to local authorities in Scotland incurring net additional expenditure on oil-related infrastructure. Of this total £441,633 has been allocated to Strathclyde Regional Council and £25,259 to Argyll and Bute District Council. These grant payments cannot be related directly to the Cowal area, but the case for special assistance to the two authorities was mainly based on infrastructure needs arising from oil-related developments there.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library copies of the probation schemes required in terms of Section 27(3) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.

Copies will be available in the Library shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will publish figures distinguishing by sex, by age groups 16 to 21 years and 21 years and over, and by type of procedure, showing the number of probation orders made in each of the years 1971 to 1976 inclusive which (a) were completed on the normal date, (b) were discharged early on the grounds of good progress, (c) were terminated because of further offence, and (d) were terminated because of a breach of requirement;(2) how many males aged 21 years and over sentenced to periods of imprisonment by sheriff courts of summary procedure in each of the years 1971 to 1976 inclusive were the subject of social inquiry reports before sentence; and how many males aged 21 years and over were sentenced to periods of imprisonment by sheriff courts of summary procedure in each of the years 1971 to 1976, inclusive;(3) how many females aged 21 years and over sentenced to periods of imprisonment by sheriff courts of summary procedure in each of the years 1971 to 1976, inclusive, were the subject of social inquiry reports before sentence; and how many females aged 21 years and over were sentenced to periods of imprisonment by sheriff courts of summary procedure in each of the years 1971 to 1976, inclusive.

The information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) to what he attributes the decline in the use of probation reported in the report Social Work in Scotland, 1974; and what steps he has taken since to investigate and remedy this decline;(2) in view of the comment of the Scottish Council on Crime, paragraph III of its Memorandum 1975 that social inquiry reports were not always of an acceptable standard either in terms of content or of presentation, what steps he has taken to obtain further or more recent evidence as to the views of sentencers concerning the adequacy of reports; and what steps he has taken or intends to take to investigate and remedy this inadequacy.