asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why there is no price limit on milk sold in cartons, as opposed to bottles; and what action he proposes.

The maximum retail prices laid down in the Milk (Great Britain) Order 1971, as amended, are applicable to milk sold in both bottles and cartons. When, however, non-returnable containers such as cartons are used for sales through shops, it has been the policy of successive Governments not to oppose the addition of a reasonable charge for the non-returnable package compared with the lower cost of returnable glass bottles on delivery rounds. A close watch is kept on such charges to ensure that they are not excessive, and the results of our latest investigations confirm that charges of up to 1p a pint can be justified. More than 90 per cent. of households in England and Wales do, however, have milk delivered to the doorstep at the basic controlled maximum retail price.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether all animals for slaughter abroad are being kept in a Ministry-approved lairage for 30 days before shipment.

Animals are not required to be kept in an approved lairage for 30 days before export. To comply with the Exported Animals Protection Order 1964, all cattle, sheep and pigs intended for export must, unless specially exempted be given food and water and rested for at east 10 hours in approved premises before shipment. An official veterinary examination also has to be carried out to ensure that they are fit to travel. These requirements are strictly enforced.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the results of measurements taken over the last 10 years of radioactive caesium (a) within United Kingdom territorial waters, and (b) in adjoining seas.

The results of monitoring carried out in territorial waters and adjoining seas in the years 1966–75 by the Ministry's Radiobiological Laboratory, Lowestoft, have been published in the series "Radioactivity in Surface and Coastal Waters of the British Isles", copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Summaries of 1976 data relating to the Windscale area and the Irish Sea are currently being prepared and this information will be available by the end of the month.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make extra funds available to the Anglian Water Authority in order to allow it to proceed with sea defence work at Jaywick.

No. The Anglian Water Authority's proposed works at Jaywick have already been approved by the Department for grant aid at the authorised rate. It is for the Authority to decide what priority it should give to this project in the light of other demands made on its resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many sets of warp cutters are available to ships engaged in fishery protection duties.

No warp cutters have been issued to ships engaged in fishery protection duties.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech at Aberystwyth on Great Britain's prospects for the 1980s, delivered on 2nd July.

I did so on 5th July.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has it in mind to make any changes in the membership of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

Yes. I have appointed Field Marshall Sir Michael Carver an additional member of the Advisory Committee.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average annual rate of inflation in the periods 1945–51, 1952–64, 1965–70, 1971–74 and 1975–76.

The average rate of inflation for the periods requested is shown below. However, because the first comprehensive retail price index did not become available until 1947, it has only been possible in the first case to calculate the average annual inflation rate on a comparable basis over the period 1947–51.

Time Period				Annual Average Rate of Inflation Per cent.
1947–51	…	…	…	5·6
1952–64	…	…	…	3·4
1965–70	…	…	…	4·6
1971–74	…	…	…	10·4
1975–76	…	…	…	20·3

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average annual rate of growth in the periods 1945–51, 1952–64, 1965–70, 1971–74 and 1975–76.

It is customary to measure economic growth by the rate of growth in gross domestic product, adjusted for price changes. The average annual rates of growth for the United Kingdom are as follows:

				Per cent.
1948–51	…	…	…	2·6
1952–64	…	…	…	3·7
1965–70	…	…	…	2·1
1971–74	…	…	…	20
1975–76	…	…	…	1·4

Data are not available before 1948.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage increases have been allowed for salaries and wages within different Government Departments when arriving at their cash limit figures over the year 1977–78.

The 1977–78 cash limits for all Government Departments were determined on the basis of the current pay policy and a working assumption of an increase of 5 per cent. for pay settlements due in the latter part of the financial year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, from information available from international sources, what was the gross domestic product per head at factor cost in Australia for the most recent year for which information is available; and how this compares with the figure for the United Kingdom.

The latest available figures are as follows:

Gross domestic product at market prices(1) per head of total population
	US Dollars
Australia
Year ending 30th June 1975	5,946
Year ending 30th June 1976	6,239
United Kingdom
Calendar year 1975	4,065

Source: National Accounts of OECD countries 1975 (Volumn 1).(

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the gross domestic product per capita of each of the present member States of the EEC in 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973 and the latest available calendar year in £ sterling.

Estimates of gross domestic product per capita for each of the present members of the EEC, converted into £ sterling using official or market rates of exchange, are given in the first table below. Comparable information for 1958 is not available. Comparisons on this basis can be misleading, since official or market exchange rates do not necessarily reflect the relative internal purchasing power of the currencies. Esti-

GROSS DOMFSTIC PRODUCT AT MARKET PRICES PER CAPITA CONVERTED TO £ STERLING USING OFFICIAL OR MARKET RATES OF EXCHANGE
						1963	1968	1973	1975
Belgium	…	…	…	…	…	520	890	1,880	2,820
Luxembourg	…	…	…	…	…	620	960	2,160	2,770
Denmark	…	…	…	…	…	600	1,060	2,230	3,170
France	…	…	…	…	…	610	1,030	1,960	2,870
West Germany	…	…	…	…	…	590	940	2,260	3,060
Irish Republic	…	…	…	…	…	280	430	870	1,120
Italy	…	…	…	…	…	350	590	1,050	1,390
Netherlands	…	…	…	…	…	430	810	1,830	2,690
United Kingdom	…	…	…	…	…	560	780	1,280	1,840

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT AT MARKET PRICES PER CAPITA CONVERTED TO £ STERLING ON THE BASIS OF EXTRAPOLATED PURCHASING POWER PARITIES*
								1968	1973	1975
France	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	830	1,560	2,300
West Germany	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	870	1,540	2,260
Italy	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	550	950	1,350
United Kingdom	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	780	1,280	1,840
* Based on the method of extrapolation described in "International comparisons on the basis o purchasing power parities", Economic Trends, November 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make available additional funds for health education campaigns to counter the current wave of publicity for new cigarette brands.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply on 24th June.—[Vol. 933, c. 620–1.]—Until it is clear what effect the publicity has had on total consumption of cigarettes, and of low tar brands in particular, any specific action by the Health Education Council for that reason would be premature.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list in the Official Report the numbers of children living in families whose estimated incomes were below the supplementary benefit level for each year since 1972;(2) if he will list in the

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list the total per capita expenditure, showing revenue and capital separately, in each of the four districts within the Nottinghamshire Area Health Authority for 1976–77 and for 1977–78; and if he will also list the per capita expenditure in each district attributable to medical teaching;(2) what development funds are to be made available to the Nottinghamshire Area Health Authority in 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1980–81; and how these funds will be divided between the four districts.

Nottinghamshire Area Health Authority (Teaching)'s provisional revenue allocation for 1977–78 was greater by £1·4 million in real terms than for 1976–77. Trent Regional Health Authority has not made final decisions about allocations to area health authorities for this or future years, and information about allocation of resources to districts by Nottinghamshire Area Health Authority (Teaching) is not yet available. The area's estimated expenditure per head of resident population is as follows:

		1976–77	1977–78
		£	£
Revenue	…	74·58 (2·02)	75·97(3·53)
Capital	…	13·50	16·47

The figures in brackets relate to amounts included to allow for additional service costs of clinical teaching.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what basis he estimates that there are at the moment abut 630,000 one-parent families as stated by his right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security on 21st June 1977; and for how long this number has been growing at the rate of 10 per cent. a year.

I am sorry if the wording of my reply to the supplementary question by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Garston (Mr. Loyden) on 21st June—[Vol. 933, c. 1082–4.]—implied precise estimates. I used these "off-the-cuff" figures merely to illustrate the point that assistance to one-parent families is a growing problem if only because their numbers are increasing.My hon. Friend will know from the report of the Finer Committee (Cmnd. 5629) that the total was estimated at 620,000 in 1971. This estimate was based on the 1971 Census of the Population. There has since been no comparable

	Calendar Year	Prescriptions	Value £
Cheshire Executive Council Area—
To 31st March	1973	6,562,691	4,388,394
	1974	1,670,968	1,161,212
Cheshire Family Practitioner Committee Area—
From 1st April	1974	3,977,081	3,130,983
	1975	5,538,175	5,297,531
	1976	5,787,558	6,898,774

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether there is any possibility of training young physicians, surgeons and other health professionals in the combined medical and surgical treatment of patients suffering from rheumatic disorders.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many prescriptions were dispensed by chemist contractors under the National Health Service in the Macclesfield constituency in each of the last four years; and what was the total value of these prescriptions.

Information in the form requested is not readily available. The number and value of National Health Service prescriptions dispensed by chemist contractors in the former Cheshire Executive Council Area and, from April 1974, in the Cheshire Family Practitioner Committee Area, which include the Macclesfield constituency, were as follows:

Doctors specialising in rheumatology are expected to have wide training and experience which includes the medical and surgical needs of their patients. When necessary, patients with rheumatic disorders are treated by a professional team which will include doctors with special knowledge of rheumatology, orthopaedic surgery, general medicine and surgery. I am satisfied that an overlap of training and experience between disciplines is achieved by the present training arrangements for doctors and others working in the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in view of his priority to improve the services used by physically handicapped people what is being done to augment the number of beds specifically designated for elective and rheumatological surgery.

Financial constraints preclude substantial increases in the numbers of beds which can be made available at this time for elective surgery of which rheumatological surgery is a part; but the more efficient use of existing beds and greater flexibility in their use can increase the numbers of patients treated, and these my Department encourage. Statistics are not available relating to elective and rheumatological surgery separately, but the number of deaths and discharges in traumatic and orthopaedic surgery as a whole rose from 290,056 in 1963 to 399,154 in 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures are being taken to ensure closer integration between medical and surgical services for patients suffering from rheumatic disorders.

I understand that, increasingly, patients who suffer from these disorders are treated by clinicians, nurses, remedial therapists and the social services working as a team. These are essentially matters for the professional bodies to consider and establish good practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons have been waiting for more than six months for admission to hospital for non-urgent treatment under the National Health Service in the area covered by the Macclesfield constituency.

1,106 on 31st March 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures are being taken to reduce the 14-month average period of waiting for joint replacement surgery.

Studies of orthopaedic service in different hospitals have shown that the waiting lists for joint replacement surgery can best be shortened by transferring elsewhere, preferably when possible to their own homes, elderly patients who continue to occupy orthopaedic beds but no longer require acute care. Pressure on orthopaedic beds can also be relieved by greater use of short-stay and day surgery for minor conditions. My Department's consultative document "Priorities for the Personal Health and Social Services", lays emphasis on both of these.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures are being taken to reduce the regional differences in waiting time for the arthro-plastics operation for arthritis.

The Resource Allocation Working Party has identified regional differences in levels of funding for hospital services and it is my objective to minimise these. Resources apart, regional differences in waiting times for arthroplasty operations depend largely upon local priorities and practices, and my Department seeks to encourage such practices as will increase the numbers of patients treated.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will update the answer given to the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke), Official Report, 20th October 1976, columns 485–6.

On a United Kingdom basis the information for December 1976 is as follows:

Supplementary Benefit Claimants and dependants as percentage of population	Supplementary Benefit Expenditure (by calendar years) as percentage of:
	GNP	Public Expenditure
8·8*	1·40	2·43
* Based on estimates of the number of supplementary benefit claimants and their dependants.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he will take to help district health authorities like the Medway Authority which are charged as much as £30,000 for the collection of refuse by local authorities so as to enable such money to be spent on medical resources.

Under the Public Health Act 1936 district councils in England and Wales may levy charges for the collection of wastes from hospitals, and expenditure on such services falls to be met from the normal revenue allocations of health authorities. The Department's

				(i)	(ii)	(iii)
				Total number of cases on waiting-list for traumatic and orthopaedic surgery	Number included in column (i) which were non-urgent	Percentage of non-urgent cases waiting more than one year
Norfolk	…	…	…	2,481	2,122	47
England	…	…	…	93,780	85,067	32

Information obtained locally in July 1977 shows the number of patients in the Norfolk Health Area, awaiting joint replacement operations only, to be 672. Of this number 318 have been waiting more than one year. I understand that the waiting time for most non-urgent admissions from the waiting list for traumatic and orthopaedic surgery in Norfolk is two and a half to three years, but at present there are some restrictions on admissions from the list, so waiting time may become longer. Corresponding information for the country as a whole is not readily available in either respect.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will issue new guidance to health authorities following the Environmental Health Officers Association's report on NHS hospital kitchens; and if he will make a statement.

A circular has been issued to health authorities today, and copies have been placed in the Library. The circular re-emphasises the importance of ensuring that the requirements of the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970 are complied with, and instructs authorities to tell local authority environmental health departments that their officers are free to visit and inspect kitchens and other food-handling areas in

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current waiting list for orthopaedic operations for artificial joint replacements in Norfolk and the likely delay for nonurgent cases between admission to the waiting list and admission to hospital; and how this compares with the average in both respects in England and Wales.

At 30th September 1976 the number of patients on the waiting list for traumatic and orthopaedic surgery, including those waiting the replacement of joints was as follows:health premises at any time without specific invitation or prior notice. The circular also stresses the importance of training staff in food hygiene and advises that environmental health departments be invited to participate in training programmes and to offer advice on health authorities proposals for building or refurbishing hospital kitchens and food handling areas. This new guidance, together with the standing arrangement whereby the failure of a health authority to take necessary action on environmental health officers' recommendations may be brought directly to the attention of my Department, is intended to ensure that proper standards of hygiene are maintained and that appropriate remedial action is taken where hospital kitchens are found to be in an unsatisfactory condition.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether in the light of the statement by the Devon Director of Social Services, private circulars have been issued by his Department suggesting reductions in the level of production in respect of certain aids for the disabled; and if he will make a statement.

No such circular has been issued.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will order an inquiry into the incidence in Torbay and other climatically pleasant resorts of jobless persons, or persons who have given up their previous jobs, coming from other parts of the United Kingdom, registering for occupations for which there are few vacancies and then living for the rest of the summer off social security benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Any person who, without good cause, left his work voluntarily to go to a seaside town, or who refused an offer of suitable employment when he got there, would be disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit for up to six weeks by the insurance officer. Any supplementary benefit to which such a person was entitled would be reduced by up to 40 per cent. of his personal scale rate—a maximum reduction of £5·08 a week—for as long as the disqualification lasted. Such a person would be likely to be regarded as available for employment only if he was prepared to accept any seasonal work that was available in the seaside town. If he restricted himself to an occupation in which he had no reasonable prospects of securing employment in the resort the question of whether his claim should be specifically disallowed on that account would be considered by the insurance officer.As far as supplementary benefit is concerned, there are special arrangements for dealing with claims in areas where plenty of seasonal work is available.

1977–78
Benefit	Estimated average number of payments being made at any one time	Estimated annual cost (£ million)
Flat-rate unemployment benefit with earnings-related supple-ment.	250,000	312
Flat-rate unemployment benefit only	400,000	365*
Supplementary benefit—
(i) paid in addition to unemployment benefit	165,000	60
(ii) paid to registered unemployed not in receipt of un-employment benefit.	500,000	555
* Includes estimated expenditure on unemployment benefit paid to the temporarily stopped, school leavers and adult students.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider making regulations governing the practice of acupuncture.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the breakdown in numbers and amounts of payments to the registered unemployed of supplementary benefit only, of unemployment benefit alone and of unemployment benefit and earnings related supplement anticipated for November 1977 and used in the Government Actuary's Report, Command Paper No. 6848.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 4th July 1977, Vol. 934, c. 423, gave the following information:The following table shows the expenditure on benefits for the unemployed in 1977–78, as estimated by the Government Actuary, on the assumptions given to him by the Government, for his Report, Command Paper No. 6848. The estimates take into account the increased rates of benefit that will become payable from November 1977.

No. My right hon. Friend has no power to make such regulations. The Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine could, after consultation with existing registration boards and at the instance of the acupuncturists themselves, recommend to the Privy Council that the Professions Supplementary to Medicine Act be extended to apply to acupuncture, but the registration of acupuncturists in this way would not preclude the practice of acupuncture by unregistered practitioners.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people deferred retirement in November 1976.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 16th June 1977; Vol. 933, c. 265–6] gave the following information:This is not an area where accurate estimates are easy to make. But information currently available suggests that the position in November 1976 was broadly as follows:

	Men Aged 65–69
Numbers with title to a retirement pension on their own contributions, but forgoing it while deferring retirement	120,000
Numbers of the above who were drawing invalidity pension	25,000
Number of women drawing neither a retirement, nor an invalidity pension who, if they qualified for pension, would entitle their husbands to benefit also	70,000
	Women Aged 60–64
Numbers with title to a retirement pension on their own contributions, but forgoing it while deferring retirement	45,000
Numbers of the above who were drawing invalidity pension	3,000
Number of men drawing neither a retirement pension nor an invalidity pension who, if they qualified for pension, would entitle their wives to benefit also	—

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what residential provision there is, other than hospitals, for stroke patients requiring comprehensive recuperative therapy including reading, writing and arithmetic.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 7th July 1977; Vol. 934, c. 601–2], gave the following information:Stroke patients no longer in need of intensive medical and nursing care should be discharged to their own home, or where this is not feasible, to a local authority or voluntary residential home. A comprehensive rehabilitation process begun in hospital should continue when the patient is discharged and can be provided in all these settings, as well as in day hospitals and at day centres. My Department is conscious of the recommendations of the Royal College of Physicians Working Group on Strokes which produced a report in 1974. Vocational rehabilitation is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many National Health Service dispensing pharmacies there are currently in Norfolk outside the Norwich city boundaries; and how this compares with the position in January 1970 and January 1965.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 7th July 1977; Vol. 934, c. 602], gave the following information:At 31st December 1976 the number of pharmacies on the pharmaceutical list of the Norfolk Family Practitioner Committee, excluding those within the Norwich city boundaries, was 64. The corresponding numbers for January 1970 and January 1965 were 75 and 84 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the approved method of administering BCG vaccine to schoolchildren;(2) if his medical advisers are satisfied that the level of the injection of BCG vaccine by the dermo-jet method can be effectively controlled.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 7th July 1977; Vol. 934, c. 601], gave the following information:The recommended method for administering BCG is by an intradermal injection using a syringe and needle. However, there is no reason to believe that the level of injection of BCG vaccine by the dermo-jet method, when used in skilled hands, cannot be effectively controlled.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many cases there has been a reported adverse reaction to BCG vaccine administered by the dermo-jet method.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 7th July 1977; Vol. 934, c. 601], gave the following information:Between July 1963 and June 1977, 162 suspected adverse reactions to BCG vaccinations of various kinds were reported to the Committee on Safety of Medicines. BCG vaccine is administered by injection into the skin by a variety of methods; the precise method is not usually specified in the adverse reaction reports. I am, therefore, unable to say what proportion of the reports related to the dermo-jet method.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many courses for trade union representatives, basic and advanced, respectively, are provided by colleges and institutions of further and advanced further education in England and Wales; what percentage of such courses are provided in departments of management, or management and business studies, in these institutions; and if the courses come within further education regulations for finance.

A wide variety of courses is available in the further education sector for trade union representatives, but it is not practicable to identify individual courses which trade unionists may attend, or to determine whether attendance is in a personal or a representative capacity. However, I understand that some 125 colleges offer courses for shop stewards, and that about 15,000 shop stewards attended such courses last year. These courses, like others at the non-advanced level, are not subject to approval under the Further Education Regulations 1975, and the costs, net of course fees, are met by the providing authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average class size in primary schools in the Leek parliamentary constituency; and how this figure compares with the figure for England and Wales.

Statistics are not compiled for individual parliamentary constituencies by my Department. In January 1976, the latest date for which information is available, the average size of a primary class—as registered—in the county of Stafford as a whole was 29·6 pupils. The corresponding figure for England and Wales was 29·2 pupils.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many days the average secondary school pupil was absent from school for each of the five academic years from 1971; what percentage that absenteeism is of the total number of school days in the years concerned; and what is the estimate for those years of the number of days on average that a child is absent from secondary school as a result of truancy.

Information in the form requested is not available, since my Department does not collect national school absence statistics on a regular basis. A one-day survey of all maintained secondary and middle schools carried out in January 1974 showed that on that day 9·9 per cent. of pupils were absent, including 2·2 per cent. who were absent without known legitimate reason.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she proposes to amend the teachers' superannuation regulations to provide for accrued superannuation benefits based on actual service to be paid to teachers in reckonable service over the age of 50 years who become redundant or retire early.

Regulations are being prepared to provide for accrued superannuation benefits to be paid to teachers age 50 or over, with at least five years' qualifying service, who lose their employment prematurely by reason of redundancy or in the interests of efficient exercise of the employer's functions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will now make regulations to enable local authorities to pay enhanced benefits to teachers over the age of 50 years who retire early.

Regulations are being prepared to enable local authorities, at their discretion, to pay enhanced benefits to such teachers who cease to be employed by reason of redundancy or in the interests of the efficient exercise of the employer's functions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the 30 employment exchanges with the lowest male and female unemployment, respectively; how many of them are in Cornwall; and how many in the rest of England.

The following table shows the employment office or travel to work areas with the lowest rates of male and female unemployment at 9th June. None of these offices is in Cornwall.

			Males
Hertford*	…	…	2·5
Coalville	…	…	2·6
Rushden	…	…	2·7
Winchester	…	…	2·8
Belper	…	…	2·9
Dorking	…	…	3·2
Yeadon*	…	…	3·2
Bamoldswick	…	…	3·3
High Wycombe*	…	…	3·3
Crawley*	…	…	3·3
Wetherby	…	…	3·3
Market Harborough	…	…	3·4
Clitheroe	…	…	3·4
St. Albans*	…	…	3·5
Stafford*	…	…	3·5
Slough*	…	…	3·6
Dursley	…	…	3·6
Matlock*	…	…	3·7
Harwich	…	…	3·8
Biggleswade	…	…	3·8
Buxton*	…	…	3·9
Loughborough	…	…	3·9
Skipton	…	…	3·9
Aylesbury	…	…	3·9
Guildford*	…	…	3·9
Northallerton	…	…	3·9
Pickering	…	…	3·9
Huddersfield	…	…	4·0
Cambridge	…	…	4·0
Saffron Walden	…	…	4·0
Burton on Trent	…	…	4·0
Ripon	…	…	4·0
Penrith	…	…	4·0
			Females
Filey	…	…	0·8
Winchester	…	…	1·0
Rushden	…	…	1·0
Hertford*	…	…	1·0
Dorking	…	…	1·2
High Wycombe*	…	…	1·3
Clitheroe	…	…	1·4

Guildford*	…	…	1·5
Stratford/Avon	…	…	1·5
Crawley*	…	…	1·5
Watford*	…	…	1·6
Evesham	…	…	1·6
Belper	…	…	1·6
Coalville	…	…	1·7
Weybndge*	…	…	1·7
St. Albans*	…	…	1·7
Eastbourne*	…	…	1·7
Slough*	…	…	1·8
Cambridge	…	…	1·8
Biagleswade	…	…	1·9
Yeadon*	…	…	1·9
Harwich	…	…	1·9
Wetherby	…	…	1·9
Dorchester	…	…	2·0
Street	…	…	2·0
Market Harborough	…	…	2·0
Worthing*	…	…	2·0
Royston	…	…	2·1
Matlock*	…	…	2·1
Tunbridge Wells*	…	…	2·1
* Travel-to-work areas

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the number of placings by the Professional and Executive Recruitment Service in each of the years 1973–74, 1974–75 and 1975–76, as covered by the fee income shown in the annual accounts of the Service.

In the three financial years 1973–74, 1974–75 and 1975–76 the number of placings, as covered by the fee income shown in the annual accounts of Professional and Executive Recruitment, was 6,786, 8,102 and 6,701, respectively. As fee charging was not introduced until 1st June 1973 the figure for 1973–74 excludes placings recorded in April and May.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of cases investigated by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service in which it has recommended that union recognition would be inappropriate; and in how many cases investigated by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service union recognition has been recommended when the result of an Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service ballot has shown only a minority to be in favour of union recognition.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 7th July 1977], gave the following information:I am informed by ACAS that seven reports issued under Section 12(7) of the Act by the Service, covering 11 references, have contained no recommendation for recognition The opinions of workers ascertained by the Service under Section 14 of the Act have been about a variety of questions and it is not, therefore, practicable to summarise these opinions in the way requested.

Sponsor	Project	Jobs	MSC Grant
			£
Ashford Borough Council	Land clearance, creation of allotments and play area.	12	15,434
Kent and East Sussex Railway (3 projects).	Improvements to Kent and East Sussex Railway.	61	95,710
Ashford Borough Council	Improvements to village hall	12	20,654
Ashford Borough Council	Environmental improvements	6	9,112
Nature Conservancy Council	Conservation survey	5	11,658
Tenterden Railway Co. Ltd.	General improvements to local railway	23	52,342
Archaeological Committee for Canterbury.	Archaeological excavation and field surveys.	14	14,564
Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit	Archaeological excavation, conversion of Roman house to museum.	10	10,440
Kent County Council	Clearance of woodland and tree planting	4	5,394
Sheerness Steel Co. (4 projects)	Clearance and landscaping of site to improve surrounding environment.	40	46,647
Kent County Council	Restoration of canal towpath, landscaping and tree planting.	7	4,669
Medway District Scout Council (2 projects.)	Building improvements	72	60,793
Medway Action Committee for the Homeless.	Renovation and maintenance of short life properties.	7	15,752
Salvation Army	Building improvements	16	48,680
Medway Borough Council	Environmental improvements	24	27,643
Shepway District Council	Clearance of dead elm trees	4	8,400
Shepway District Council	Environmental improvements	6	6,144
Shepway District Council	Construction of cliff-top paths	6	7,453
Swale District Council	Environmental improvements	10	5,011
Swale District Council	Survey of conservation area	7	6,817
Swale Volunteer Bureau	Survey, play and child-minding facilities available in area.	5	5,507
Thanet District Council	Clearance of land for allotments	49	62,828
Isle of Thanet Archaeological Unit (2 projects).	Excavation of Roman building and publication of report on findings.	13	19,826
Canterbury Archaeological Trust	Archaeological survey and excavation	14	14,564

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will propose that the EEC should harmonise the laws and regulations that exist within the member States concerning grants, subsidies and other financial inducements that are available for firms to establish businesses which are expected to employ local labour.

I have been asked to reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been created in the county of Kent under the job creation scheme; who are the sponsors; how many jobs are involved in each project; and what is the sum made available for each project.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that up to 3rd June, 427 jobs had been created in Kent under the job creation programme. The sponsors are as follows:No. The Commission of the European Communities, in accordance with Article 93 of the Treaty of Rome, keeps member States' aids and subsidies under review, so as to ensure that they are compatible with the Common Market.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of the net salary, assuming the post to be held by a married man with no dependent children, in real terms, of (a) the chairman, (b) the deputy chairman and (c) other board members of the area electricity boards in 1972 and 1977, taking 1972 as the base year; and how many places on the boards are currently unfilled.

The information is being prepared and I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list any unilateral actions taken by any member of the EEC since 1st January 1973 in areas for which his Department is responsible for negotiating on behalf of the United Kingdom, following inability of all EEC members to agree on common action.

My Department maintains no systematic record of unilateral actions which may have been taken by member States in default of Community agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what tests he has had on the bodies of 100 birds found on a rubbish tip at Great Welnetham, Suffolk; what was the cause of death; and what consultation he has had with the local authority and the Anglian Water Authority to ensure that toxic materials are not dumped at this site and that polluting material is not percolating into local water supplies.

Tests on some of the 50 birds found dead on this site have established that they were poisoned, but the poison has not so far been identified. Further tests are still in progress. The site is used by the county council only for domestic and inert industrial waste; its use for toxic wastes is not permitted, although pesticides and rodenticides are used for pest control.The Anglian Water Authority is confident that there is no danger of pollution to local water supplies, but is carrying out a full chemical analysis of water samples from the aquifer lying below the site.I shall write to the hon. Member when full results of the tests are known.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange for an exhibition by Members of both Houses to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I have arranged with the authorities of the House for this exhibition of paintings to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 11th July to 22nd July 1977. I am grateful to the hon. Member for his efforts in the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many social surveys have been conducted in Darlington to measure the success of the noise experiment; what areas of inquiry each survey covered; who conducted them; and what was the cost of each one.

No social survey has yet been carried out to measure the success of the experiment, which is not due to end until September 1978. A preliminary survey, to assess public attitudes to noise in the town has been carried out by Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic at a cost of £6,682.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what factors were taken into consideration by the Noise Advisory Council before Darlington was selected for the experiment on noise.

The factors taken into consideration by the Noise Advisory Council were that the town should be of medium size, have a mixture of residential and industrial development, and a suitably experienced environmental health department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost to public funds of the experiment in Darlington on noise currently being conducted by the Noise Advisory Council.

About £30,000 spread over two years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people are employed on the experiment in Darlington on noise currently being conducted by the Noise Advisory Council.

The work in Darlington is being carried out by the existing staff of the environmental health department as part of their day-to-day work on noise abatement. One additional person, a graphic designer, has been engaged under the Manpower Services Commission's job creation scheme to prepare publicity material.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many "Say No to Noise" badges, posters and tee-shirts have been produced by the experiment of the Noise Advisory Council in Darlington; and what was their cost to public funds.

10,200 badges have been bought at a cost of £340. 2,500 posters have been printed at a cost of £559. 40 T-shirts have been purchased for £55. The total cost of these three types of item has, therefore, been £954.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he proposes to discuss with the Greater London Council its decision to cease housing construction in outer London and to concentrate new building on Thamesmead and docklands.

My right hon. Friend had a preliminary meeting with Mr. Cutler to discuss the new council's policies on 10th June. I hope to have a

COMMONS REGISTRATION ACT 1965* DISPUTES
Position at 30th June 1977
		Number of objections† received	Number of disputes heard‡	Number of disputes resolved	Number of disputes remaining to be heard‡
England County—
Avon	…	458	40	33	457
Bedfordshire	…	44	53	53	7
Berkshire	…	155	4	4	114
Buckinghamshire	…	67	67	36	94
Cambridgeshire	…	107	25	12	19
Cheshire	…	39	16	10	36
Cleveland	…	272	11	2	9
Cornwall	…	1,398	266	185	1,623
Cumbria	…	914	17	16	340
Derbyshire	…	19	24	19	1
Devon	…	774	128	71	10,757

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what ministerial consent is required under the London Government Act 1963 to enable the Greater London Council to transfer its housing stock to the London boroughs or to any other authorities or agencies; and what criteria will govern his granting of such consent.

Local authorities may transfer existing housing stock to another authority by mutual agreement. Generally, my consent is required only if the transfer is at less than best price, includes land used for open space or acquired compulsorily, or there are subsidy implications. Transfers can also be effected by an order under the London Government Act 1963; such orders have in the past been made only at the request of both authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list, for each county in the United Kingdom, the number of objections received to registrations under the Commons Registration Act; how many of those have been heard by the Commons Commissioners; how many have been resolved by him; and how many remain to be heard.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 29th June 1977; Vol. 934, c 271], circulated the following information:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has in mind for strengthening the accountancy procedure for the direct labour teams employed by the Property Services Agency.

A more accurate attribution of overheads to the directly employed labour force has led to a review of the relevant charges. No other accounting changes are in prospect, but an improved system of planning and control designed to increase efficiency is being introduced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to ensure that councillors are made individually responsible in the event of loss to public funds arising from decisions to sell council property below market value.

I see no reason to change the present arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the report of the CPRS into overseas representation before the Summer Recess.

The report is now being printed for publication. It is a lengthy document, and printing and binding will take some time. I regret that I am not yet in a position to announce the expected date of publication.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will authorise repair of the aerials of the relay station on Masirah to commence in order to restore BBC medium-wave broadcasts to south and west Asia; and if he will make a statement.

The radio relay station on Masirah Island (Oman) was severely damaged by a hurricane on 13th June.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are now detained in Her Majesty's Prisons awaiting deportation; and what is the longest period any such person has now been detained.

On 30th June, 84 people detained in prison were the subjects of deportation orders. The longest period of detention on that date was eight months 14 days; this exceptional delay is due to difficulty in obtaining a travel document from the relevant national authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received from the public concerning the existing law on rape.

Few on the law. Most of the letters received have been about the sentences passed in individual cases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek a voluntary agreement with manufacturers to curtail the advertising of sweets and chocolates during children's viewing hours; and what representation he has had from dentists urging him to do so.

No. I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to Questions by my hon. Friend the Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) on 28th June—[Vol. 934,c. 134–5.]—The Independent Broadcasting Authority's code governing standards and practice in broadcast advertising contains a pro vision which regulates the acceptance of confectionery advertisements in the interests of dental hygiene. There have been no recent representations from the dental profession urging a Government approach to the sweet manufacturers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what method he uses to calculate the sums to be paid to local authorities under Section 11 of the Local Government Act; and what steps he takes to check that such grants are used for the purposes intended in the Act and in the districts in respect of which they are paid.

Grants are paid at the rate of 75 per cent. of eligible expenditure claimed by local authorities. It is for local authorities themselves to deter mine the appropriate level of such expenditure in accordance with arrangements set out in Home Office Circulars 15/1967 and 169/1970, copies of which are in the Library. Claims for grant are audited in accordance with established Government practice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to bring forward legislation to seek to prevent the proliferation of licences for the sale of alcoholic beverages.

My right hon. Friend has no plans for legislation on this subject at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in his capacity as Police Authority for London, he will make a statement on recent cuts in overtime in the Metropolitan Police and how these have affected or are expected to affect the Criminal Investigation Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in view of the concern felt by the police at the Home Office decision to ban overtime thus cutting their take-home pay by as much as £30 per week and of the fact that the police in k Division, which covers Newham where there are special social problems, have decided to go slow, if he will review his decision on overtime.

I would refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friend to the answers given to Questions from the hon. Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Page) yesterday. — [Vol. 934, c. 627-8.] — The new system for the control of overtime introduced by the Commissioner applies equally to uniformed and CID officers. The Metropolitan Police have said that there is no truth in reports that detectives, both in specialist branches at New Scot land Yard and in Divisions, are "going slow" and refusing to perform overtime in protest at the introduction of the new procedures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of hours of overtime worked by the Metropolitan Police up to the present in connection with the Grunwick dispute.

This information is not readily available, and could not be obtained without disproportionate effort and cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police cadets in the Metropolitan Police Department were recruited in each of the years 1974 to 1976, respectively; how many it is being permitted to recruit in 1977 and 1978; and by what percentage figure the number of police cadets in post will fall in consequence between 1976 and 1979.

386 were recruited in 1974, 500 in 1975, 546 in 1976 and 119 so far this year. The strength of the Metropolitan Cadet Corps was 710 at 31st March 1977, 98 per cent of the strength at 31st March 1976. The Commissioner proposes to recruit about 160 cadets in the remainder of 1977.The ages of the new recruits and wastage levels will affect the strength at 31st March 1978, but it is likely to be about 675, 93 per cent. of the strength at 31st March 1976. No decisions have yet been taken about recruitment after 31st March 1978.

asked the Attorney-General if he will publish a list giving (a) the occupational backgrounds and (b) the political allegiances of the magistrates on the Ipswich Bench.

The informaion requested is set out in the following table. My noble Friend has advised me that it is based upon information given by the magistrates concerned at the time of their appointment.

Occupational Background	Ipswich Bench
Professional	14
Farmers	2
Company directors	8
Trade and industry (excluding weeklywage earners)	17
Weekly wage earners	8
Housewives	16
Political Views
Labour	21
Conservative	24
Liberal	9
Independent/Unknown	11

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether every member of the Royal Ulster Con stabulary is provided with his, or her, individual flak jacket.

Body protection equipment is not issued on an individual basis but is provided at Royal Ulster Constabulary stations in sufficient quantities to ensure that the equipment is available to all members of the force performing outdoor duties.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many of the 71 persons arrested and charged in 1976 and stated by the Royal Ulster Constabulary to be Irish Republican Army officers have been tried and sentenced; and what was the average length of the sentence imposed;(2) how many persons stated by the Royal Ulster Constabulary to be Irish Republican Army officers are at present in custody in Northern Ireland;

pursuant to the reply [Official Report, 23rd June 1977; Vol. 933, c. 573], gave the following informa tion:Of the 71 persons arrested and charged in 1976, 46 have so far been tried. 41 were convicted and sentenced. Since life imprisonment was imposed in some cases, the average sentence cannot be accurately computed. None of the cases in respect of the 63 persons arrested and charged in 1977 has yet been brought to trial.I am advised by the Chief Constable that a total of 277 persons believed by the RUC to have held officer status in the Provisional IRA are at present in custody in Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list any unilateral actions taken by any members of the EEC since 1st January 1973 in areas for which his Department is responsible for negotiating on behalf of the United King dom, following inability of all EEC members to agree on common action.

My Department does not maintain a systematic record of unilateral actions which may have been taken by member States in default of Community agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list any unilateral actions taken by any member of the EEC since 1st January 1973 in areas for which his Department is responsible for negotia ting on behalf of the United Kingdom, following inability of all EEC members to agree on common action.

My Department maintains no systematic record of uni lateral actions which may have been taken by member States in default of Community agreement.