asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average award for workers unfairly dismissed made by industrial tribunals.

The median awards given by industrial tribunals in unfair dismissal cases are calculated on a quarterly basis and are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has completed his consideration of the basis on which consultations should be held with those primarily concerned, to see whether improvements in the law can be proposed to redefine the difference between peaceful picketing and intimidation; and whether he will publish a list of those with whom he has been carrying out his consultations.

I have nothing to add to the answer my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member on 26th October.—[Vol. 936, c. 872–3.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment further to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North, Official Report, 26th October, column 873, if he will now estimate the overall net cost of guaranteeing to every unemployed adult a job at £40 a week, after taking into account increased revenue from national insurance contribution and from income tax.

It is estimated that to pay every adult person at present unemployed in Great Britain a wage of £40 a week, after taking into account increased revenue from national insurance contributions and from income tax, would cost about £1,700 million. There would also be other costs—e.g., for administration, materials, etc.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the activity of field consultants groups is allocated to each of the general areas covered by the Factory Inspectorate; and if he is satisfied that the coverage of the United Kingdom by such groups is adequate.

I am advised by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that seven field consultant groups are planned for Great Britain. Three have already begun work, three more will start in 1978 and the seventh will become operational when staff training is completed. The groups respond to demands made on them by inspectors working in the areas they serve, and have been staffed to meet this demand. No allocation of activities is therefore made to individual areas served. I am satisfied that the proposed coverage of Great Britain by the groups represent a reasonable proportion of total Factory Inspectorate activity.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the Merseyside Metropolitan and Cheshire areas are receiving an adequate proportion of the resources of the North-West Field Consultants Group of the Factory Inspectorate.

I am advised by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the North-West Field Consultant Group serves three Factory Inspectorate areas, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, and North-West. The group responds to demands made on it by those areas, and he is satisfied that requests from Merseyside are dealt with on the same basis as requests from the other two areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage for the last five years of deaths, serious industrial accidents and serious industrial diseases of workers in the following categories: (a) building and construction workers, (b) dock workers, (c) miners, (d) steel workers, (e) firemen, (f) seamen, including workers on oil rigs, (g) police and (h) local authority workers.

I will reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) which member or members of the Energy Commission have been appointed with a view to including people who have a primary interest in alternative energy sources and energy saving in public or private buildings, respectively;(2) whether the Energy Commission is able to consider submissions from organisations outside the existing energy industries, Government and the trade unions.

Sir William Hawthorne has been appointed to the Energy Commission in his capacity as Chairman of the Advisory Council on Energy Conservation, which deals with all aspects of energy saving. No member has been appointed as having a primary interest in alternative energy sources. The Commission will be able, at its discretion, to consider submissions from any organisation or individual.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether an individual is eligible for fuel discounts while he is on a training allowance, in addition to other social security benefits.

I assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to the electricity discount scheme. Only people who are in receipt of supplementary benefit or family income supplement are entitled to benefit from the scheme. This may be the case with some recipients of training allowances.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received on the fulfilment by the United Kingdom of obligations under the Treaty of Rome arising from participation agreement conditions providing for consultation on plans for marketing North Sea crude oil; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's Government and the oil companies concerned have needed no urging to respect international obligations. Participation agreements are compatible with the United Kingdom's obligations under the Treaty of Rome.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will make a further statement clarifying the status of participation agreements in the light of his remarks in that connection, Official Report, 17th January 1977, column 14 and Official Report, 18th November, column 1018;(2) whether the participation agreements negotiated by the Government and the BNOC with the oil companies are regarded by him in any way in the nature of planning agreements;(3) whether it is intended that the oil companies should negotiate planning agreements in addition to participation agreements, pursuant to the Government's industrial strategy outlined in the Industry Act 1975;(4) whether information obtained from or obligations assumed under participation agreements are in any way similar to that likely to be expected under planning agreements.

Participation agreements with oil companies which provide for consultations with the Government, such as those with Shell and Esso, have important elements in common with planning agreements, though there are major differences. I intend also to discuss common problems at a tripartite level involving Government, managements of oil companies and the trades unions, and as appropriate, to negotiate planning agreements with individual oil companies.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many of the participation agreements already negotiated or agreed have made provision for or place restrictions on the export of crude oil or petroleum products.

It is the Government's intention to have discussions with all companies producing oil on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf about its disposal. In many cases there is provision for such discussions in participation agreements with the companies. Imports and exports of oil and products will form part of the subject matter of such discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will seek to amend Section 40 of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975 to ensure that petroleum royalties, licence fees and rentals arising from licences granted pursuant to the Petroleum (Production) Act 1934 are payable to the Exchequer and not into the National Oil Account.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will indicate the total funds lying in the account of the National Oil Account at the latest date for which figures are available and give a list of all substantial payments made out of the account;(2) if he will give the total receipts of the National Oil Account in the last 12 months, giving details of amounts of integral payments from royalties, licence fees and rentals;(3) if he will indicate what funds have been advanced to the British National Oil Corporation from the National Oil Account received from the National Loans Fund in excess of the £328 million set forth in the 1976 accounts.

Pursuant to Section 40(4) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipelines Act 1975, details of the sums paid into and out of the National Oil Account (NOA) in any financial year ending 31st March are given in the NOA account which is laid before each House of Parliament each year.

asked the Lord Advocate when he expects to receive the report of the Crown Agent on the case of Sergeant William Jamieson of Bo'ness.

I expect to receive the report before the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the original value, when new, of the second-hand weapons sold by the Government to the Government of El Salvador for a price of £850,000

It is not our practice to disclose such information.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government have sold any other equipment which could conceivably be used for quelling internal demonstrations to the Government of El Salvador since 1972.

The present contract is the only one concluded by Her Majesty's Government for the sale of defence equipment to El Salvador in the period in question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his policy on receiving representations from hon. Members in connection with planning inquiries where the local inquiry has been held and the matter is sub judice pending the inspector's report.

If such representations raise points of substance not made at the inquiry the standard practice is to secure consent to disclose them to the parties to the inquiry and invite their comments. I would then take into account the representations and comments along with the inspector's report in reaching my decision.In the case of an appeal transferred for decision by an inspector the matter is governed by Rule 14 of the Town and Country Planning Appeals (Determination by Appointed Persons) (Inquiries Procedure) Rules 1974. These provide that if the inspector proposed to take into consideration any new evidence or new issue of fact not raised at the inquiry which he considers material to his decision he must give the parties an opportunity of commenting on it or of asking for the inquiry to be reopened. He must reopen the inquiry if asked to do so in these circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to introduce a strict time limit between the holding of a local inquiry by one of his Department's inspectors and the publication of his final decision; and if he will make a statement.

This was one of the recommendations made in the Eighth Report from the Expenditure Committee, Session 1976–1977. We shall be publishing our response shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to ensure that local authorities in new towns will have increased influence and control over the commercial and industrial assets at present vested in the development corporations when these corporations are wound up.

We are not at present convinced that new legislation is needed; but my right hon. Friend is considering various means of ensuring that the commercial and industrial assets in new towns are managed in a way that is sensitive to local interests and people.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he will not take action to save Government expenditure by ending the supply of residential premises to certain Ministers or charging them economic rents.

The provision of official residences to certain Ministers is a longstanding arrangement, and all the current occupations are necessary for the proper performance of ministerial duties. Under the terms of the Finance Act 1977 the Ministers concerned will for the first time be liable to taxation on the cost of maintaining the accommodation, but payment of rent would not be appropriate for the reason given, and because in each case the residence provided is part of a Government building and no choice of location or quality is therefore practical.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why, in view of the Government's 10 per cent. guideline, he has agreed to the 100 per cent. increases in the admission charges to Hampton Court and the Tower of London in a period when inflation is falling.

The present charges were fixed two years ago and have had to be raised because of the increased costs of upkeep since then over the monuments as a whole.At Hampton Court the separate charge of 15p for the Mantegna Gallery will be abolished so that the increase is from 35p to 50p in winter and from 65p to £1 in summer; here also additional galleries will be opened during 1978 without extra charge.At the Tower the present charges are 80p during eight months and 20p during four months of the year; the new charges —£1·50 during two months, £1 during six months and 50p during four months—are related to the anticipated flow of visitors. They ensure that for half the year the increase is only 25 per cent.; and they take into account the opening of a new gallery for which no additional charge will be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many of the 9,000 hectares of abandoned British Railways land shown in his Department's survey of derelict land issued in May 1975 are in Yorkshire; and how much of it is currently considered suitable for restoration.

According to the 1974 Survey of Derelict and Despoiled Land carried out by local authorities the total area of abandoned British Railways land in the three administrative counties of Yorkshire was 1,117 hectares, of which 934 hectares were shown as justifying restoration. No later estimates are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will now consider fresh applications from former urban district areas that were not granted town or parish council status at the time of the 1974 reorganisation of local government; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will seek powers to extend the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 so that communities in urban areas may apply for town or parish council status.

The Local Government Act 1972 enables parishes to be formed in urban areas outside Greater London. A parish council may resolve to take on the status of town council. The Department will shortly issue a circular containing guidelines for parish reviews. It will be for district councils to carry out the reviews and make recommendations to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England concerning parish arrangements in their areas. These might include the creation of new parishes. The Commission makes proposals to my right hon. Friend for implementation by order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he intends to take to solve the problem of derelict urban land, highlighted in the recent Civic Trust Report; if he intends to encourage the use of such land for development in place of the use of agricultural land; and if he has any proposals in mind to provide assistance for reclamation schemes in England similar to the assistance available in Scotland through the Scottish Development Agency.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 28th November 1977; Vol. 940, c. 73–4], circulated the following information:The problem of derelict and vacant urban land is particularly important in our major cities. The availability of such land and its future use is one of the early matters that we shall be discussing with local authorities in the partnership areas. In England, local authorities already receive grant assistance for work in connection with derelict land and I do not see any necessity for the creation of an agency.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the Common Market butter which was sold to Russia at cheap prices was subject to the same type of levy, which is imposed on imported New Zealand butter, when it was resold to Italy; and if he will make a statement.

Special levies apply to imports of New Zealand butter under the arrangements set out in Protocol 18 of the Treaty of Accession. All other imports of butter are subject to the common levy, which is over twice as high. The European Commission is inquiring into allegations about the reimportation of EEC butter into Italy, and we await the result of that inquiry.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will stop all further integration of the United Kingdom's agricultural policy with that of the rest of the Common Market until satisfactory arrangements for the protection of the British fishery industry have been secured.

I remain determined to secure satisfactory arrangements for the protection of the British fishing industry. The final transitional step for agriculture is specified in the Treaty of Accession, and I could not unilaterally defer it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of badgers slaughtered in Gloucestershire has been infected with bovine tuberculosis.

It is not possible to give the information requested because badgers destroyed in their sets by gassing are not recovered. Examination of 1,127 carcases of badgers from Gloucestershire which have died from other causes has revealed that 215–19 per cent.—were infected with bovine tuberculosis.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what new evidence there is to suggest that badgers are definitely the cause and carriers of bovine tuberculosis.

Badgers infected with bovine tuberculosis are continuing to be found in areas where outbreaks of the disease have occurred in cattle. In one area, where there has been a particularly serious disease history in a herd, and where gassing of badger sets began in August 1975, the herd has been regularly tested, but no cattle infected with the disease have been discovered since January 1976.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under what authority Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food officials enter land and slaughter badgers.

Section 10(2) of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 empowers authorised officers to enter land included in an area declared by an order under Section 9(2) of the Act and to destroy badgers on that land. Entry to land not included in such an area is made only with the voluntary agreement of the occupiers, and in such cases destruction of badgers is carried out by virtue of licences issued under Section 9(1)(d) of the Badgers Act 1973 as amended by Section 16 of the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act 1975.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest estimate of badgers slaughtered in Gloucestershire (a) in the last six months and (b) in total since badger slaughtering began.

It is not possible to say how many badgers have been killed. In the six months ending 31st October, 241 sets in Gloucestershire have been gassed, making a total of 1,040 since gassing operations began.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a further statement about bovine tuberculosis in Gloucestershire.

During the first nine months of this year bovine tuberculosis was found in 17 cattle herds. During the same period 301 badger carcases were examined and 34—11·3 per cent.—were found to be infected with the disease.A large part of Gloucestershire was included in one of the control areas declared by the Badgers (Control Areas) 1977 Order, which came into operation on 22nd November. This provides gassing teams with right of entry and greater operational flexibility on land covered by the order.In the Thornbury experimental area the clearance of badgers has been almost completed, and this area will be kept free of badgers for a period before healthy badgers are allowed to recolonise it. Cattle herds in the area will also continue to be monitored for freedom from the disease. No evidence of bovine tuberculosis has been discovered in any other species of wild life in the county.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which counties in England and Wales are suffering from outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis.

The following table lists the counties of England and Wales in which cattle were found to be affected by bovine tuberculosis during the first nine months of 1977:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimates he has for the national pig herd in 1978; and how this compares with the actual numbers in each of the previous five years.

It is not customary to publish details of the Ministry's forecasts. The provisional results of the latest census conducted in England and Wales in September indicate that the decline in the breeding herd is continuing.Total numbers of pigs in the breeding herd in the United Kingdom at the June censuses in recent years were:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he has any plans to bring rail services within Scotland up to inter-city standard;(2) what is his current capital expenditure programme for upgrading Scottish railway routes; and if he will provide details of major projects.

It is for the Board to decide, within its total investment ceiling and in accordance with its plans, where investment priorities lie. The services to the major towns in Scotland are, of course, already part of the inter-city network.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what has been the Railway Board's capital expenditure on new passenger rolling stock in each of the last five years;(2) if he is able to estimate the total production of railway passenger rolling stock in each of the past two years in the United Kingdom;(3) what proportion of current British Railways passenger rolling stock in use has been purchased as new within the past five years;(4) what is the current estimate of new passenger rolling stock required for British Railways; and how much of this capital expenditure is expected to be met over the next two years;(5) what is the average age of passenger rolling stock currently used by British Railways.

The information is not readily available. I shall write to the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the passenger miles travelled on British Railways services in each of the past five years.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has received proposals for the closure of railway lines in the Yorkshire and Humberside area.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish a reply to the report of the Select Committee on Nationalised Industries on the rôle of British Railways in public transport.

A White Paper setting out the Government's response is being published today (Cmnd. 7038). Copies have been laid before the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the working of the present arrangements governing the relationships between local passenger transport executives and county councils; and if he intends to recommend any alteration in these arrangements.

I considered this matter during the transport policy review and again in the light of the report of the Select Committee on Nationalised Industries on the Role of British Rail in Public Transport. I do not propose any changes in the arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport in view of the fact that the vehicle licensing offices fail to acknowledge or reply to letters, if he will institute a system of card acknowledgments including a forecast of the date of substantive reply.

A standard acknowledgment card is usually sent when it is not envisaged that it will be possible to dispatch a substantive reply within 48 hours. If my hon. Friend has evidence to the contrary I would be very glad to examine it.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the maximum retirement pension currently payable to an hon. Member at the present House of Commons pension rate; and if such a retired Member became a peer, what would be the taxable worth of the Lords' tax-free attendance allowance at 1st November 1977.

A Member retiring on 25th November 1977 who has not transferred-in any prior pensionable service could reckon a maximum of 23 years of Parliamentary service for a pension which would amount to £3,102·78 a year. Members of the House of Lords do not receive an attendance allowance. As they receive no salary, they may claim reimbursement of actual expenses within specified limits. The question of imputing a taxable worth to those payments therefore does not arise.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many Government Departments have moved to West Yorkshire in the last five years; and if he will state the name of the Department and the location.

In the five years ended 30th September 1977, 520 Inland Revenue posts were dispersed from London to West Yorkshire to the following locations:Bradford, 158; Leeds, 51; Shipley, 311. These figures do not include 239 Inland Revenue posts established in West Yorkshire in the period stated as a result of the policy of locating new Government offices away from London whenever possible.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give details of the luncheon which he gave at Lancaster House on 18th November; who attended; what was the cost; what is the annual or weekly upkeep cost of the Civil Service College; and what is the purpose of the college.

The purpose of the Civil Service College is to improve the efficiency of the Civil Service by high quality training in disciplines central to its work including economics, statistics, public administration, social policy and administration, management studies, computers and management services. To help United Kingdom civil servants to develop their understanding of Community matters the College co-operates with our main European partners in an annual programme of reciprocal training courses, on a pattern established in 1971. The recent visit of a group of senior Dutch civil servants was the latest in this series. As part of the normal reciprocal arrangements I gave a luncheon for them and their Ambassador, to enable them to meet socially British people in public life, some of whom had helped the visitors during their two-week study of this country's machinery of government, industry and regions. These included Members of Parliament and representatives of the TUC, industry, the Press, the academic world, organisations concerned with Anglo-Dutch relationships and some of the Government Departments concerned with the course. Although some bills have still to be presented the estimated cost is something under £850; the level of hospitality was comparable with that offered to British civil servants on equivalent exchange visits.For the 12 months ended 31st August 1977 the cost of the Sunningdale and London centres of the College was £3·754 million offset by £0·589 million appropriations-in-aid mainly in the form of charges to students from non-Exchequer bodies.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether the evidence collected by the newly revived Civil Service Pay Research Unit, comparing wages and salaries in the Civil Service with comparable rates in private industry, will be published.

The new Pay Research Unit Board is to be charged with the duty of submitting an annual report to the Prime Minister, which will be published, and giving guidance to the director on the release of such information about the unit's work and findings as is compatible with the effective operation of the system. It has been agreed that the general aim will be to release as much information as is practicable.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether the travelling allowances ranging from 10·6p a mile up to 13·4p a mile and subsistence allowances of amounts from £1·20 up to £23·15 per night paid to Ministers are subject to tax.

I have been asked to reply.Any such allowances paid to Ministers are considered to be no more than a reimbursement of expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties, and are therefore, as in the case of all other taxpayers, not subject to tax.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what written assurances he has given to President Nyerere of Tanzania regarding the disbandment of the Rhodesian security forces.

None. Though President Nyerere is fully aware of the state-

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many exchange visits between Great Britain and Romania took place under the auspices of the 1975 to 1977 cultural exchange programme.

Under the cultural exchange programme with Romania from 1st April 1975 to 31st March 1977 there were 210 Romanian visitors to Britain, and 202 British visitors to Romania.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any of the recommendations contained in the Central Policy Review report on overseas representation are currently being put into effect.

Ministers are still studying the report. However, a number of recommendations reflect current practice in the Diplomatic Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish in the Official Report the mid-point of the non-medical university lecturers' salary scale as at 1st November in each of the years 1970 to 1977; and what this was as a percentage of average industrial earnings on those dates.

The figures for 1970 to 1976 are shown in the following table. A new pay settlement for university teachers to take effect from 1st October 1977 has not yet been negotiated.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress is being made in disposing of surplus teacher training college premises.

These premises are owned either by local education authorities or by voluntary organisations which are therefore responsible for their disposal. Such property transactions can take a long time to complete and involve questions of commercial confidence. Many of the buildings will not become available until the training of present students ends in the next few years.I hope that wherever possible an educational use will be found for the surplus buildings, but I recognise that in some cases the location and nature of the property makes this difficult. The following is a list of those cases where I understand that alternative uses are firmly in prospect. Negotiations are will-advanced in a number of other cases. I am pleased to see the high proportion of buildings which are expected to be used for other educational purposes.LAST INTAKE 1974

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether any advance from the Contingencies Fund has been made in connection with the special grant offered to the Tate Gallery to assist in the purchase of two paintings by George Stubbs entitled "The Haymakers" and "The Reapers".

The special grant offered, subject to Parliamentary approval, was to match pound for pound up to a maximum of £190,000 sums then remaining to be raised by the Gallery. An advance of £50,000 was made from the Contingencies Fund on 12th August to match a contribution of £50,000 from the National Art Collections Fund and the Pilgrim Trust.A Supplementary Estimate will shortly be laid before Parliament which will seek Parliamentary authority for the sum advanced to be repaid to the Contingencies Fund and, in due course, a further payment of grant made to match amounts

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much investment from overseas has taken place in West Yorkshire during the past five years; and if he will state the amount, and the name of each company, together with their location.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the current planning figures for higher education in Great Britain in 1981–82.

The current 1981–82 planning figures for Great Britain higher education student numbers—full-time and sandwich—which I have agreed for his interest with the Secretary of State for Scotland, and the latest estimates for 1976–77 are given in the following table. The aims for 1981–82 implicit in these figures include increasing student numbers in advanced further education other than teacher training in England and Wales by about 39 per cent. and in the Great Britain university sector by about 14 per cent.

Statistics relating to inward investment are published for the United Kingdom as a whole and are not further disaggregated. A recent study carried out by my Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Office showed that in mid-1976 at least 192 establishments at least 50 per cent. owned—either directly or indirectly or via a United Kingdom subsidiary—by overseas firms or groups were manufacturing in Yorkshire and Humberside, employing 52,600 persons. 86 of these establishments employed over 100 persons and of these 40 establishments (employing 23,790 persons) were manufacturing in the West Yorkshire area.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many applications have been received from foundries in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively, under the ferrous foundries scheme; how many such foundries have received an allocation in each country; and what is the total sum allocated in each case.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total number and value of applications received and schemes approved under the new product and process development scheme, in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

The Department has received a substantial number of enquiries about the Product and Process Development Scheme from various parts of the country. Formal applications accepted as eligible for consideration under the scheme total 29, of which 28 are from the English regions and one from Scotland. These applications relate to projects with a total value of nearly £9 million. So far, five projects in England have received financial approval representing Government expenditure of approximately £388,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he intends to obtain assurances from Hitachi about the purchase of television components from British based manufacturers before a manufacturing unit is established in the United Kingdom; and whether these will apply to more than a small percentage of the components used.

Hitachi has given written assurances to my Department that it is the company's intention to maximise the use of British components in the colour television sets which would be manufactured in the proposed colour television factory at Washington New Town. The company has already identified United Kingdom manufacturing sources for 40 per cent. of the components, and has undertaken to continue its efforts to increase this proportion. In addition a Mullard tube would be used in all cases where such tubes meet Hitachi's assessment of market requirements. However no decision has yet been reached on the Hitachi proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on how he is conforming with the Schedule to the National Enterprise Board Guidelines 2(ii); and when he will publish his assessment of the National Enterprise Board's performance.

The NEB's performance will be assessed by the Government in the course of its annual review of the NEB's corporate plan, as supplemented by quarterly reports; and on the NEB's success in meeting the financial duties determined by my right hon. Friend under Section 6 of the Industry Act 1975. There is no requirement laid on my right hon. Friend to publish any such assessment.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many of the subsidiary or associate companies of the National Enterprise Board have entered into planning agreements.

I have nothing to add to the answer my hon. Friend, the Under-Secretary of State, gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Goole (Dr. Marshall) on 14th November—[Vol. 939, c. 35–6].

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, following the Treasury Minute, Command Paper No. 6977, in reply to the Committee of Public Accounts 1976–77, he will explain how he will decide the financial duties of the National Enterprise Board in respect of its investments in British Leyland and Rolls-Royce Limited; and whether and when he will publish precise rates of return for these two companies.

My right hon. Friend will determine these duties in the light of, the NEB's recommendations on the companies' corporate plans, and keep the House informed.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the final total of offers of assistance to industry made under the Accelerated Pro-

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what estimate he has made of the amount of work for the 22 ships jects Scheme; what proportion this represents of the total financial allocation that was authorised for the scheme; what is the total of payments so far made under the scheme; and how those offers and payments were distributed amongst industrial sectors and regions.

Details of the offers and the regional and industrial distribution of projects have already been published in Appendix H of the 1976–77 Report on the Industry Act 1972. The assistance offered represented 70 per cent. of the financial allocation for the scheme. Assistance is paid by instalment on completion of stages of particular projects. Up to 31st October 1977 payments totalled £14·7 million. The distribution of offers and payments is as follows:and two floating cranes, respectively, purchased with British subsidy by Poland, which will be done in Poland.

British Shipbuilders have already said that items imported from Poland are expected to account for about 8 per cent. Of the total production cost of the ships.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps he has taken to ensure that manufacturing industry in the public sector uses steel produced by the British Steel Corporation.

Users have been given the fullest encouragement.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total level of offers and payments made to industry under the clothing industry scheme.

By mid-November offers totalling £3·9 million had been made to industry under the Clothing Industry Scheme and payments amounted to £1·05 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether, in the light of the 10 per cent. incomes policy, he will refer the proposed 15 per cent. increase in membership charges of the Automobile Association to the Price Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will provide assistance to the power generating indus-

My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. Subscriptions to this body are already subject to the supervision of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if it remains his policy to adopt the recommendations of the Monopolies Commission report of 1972 on fire insurance; if he is having consultations with interested parties; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is reviewing what action should now be taken in the light of developments since its publication. We expect to have further consultations with interested parties in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what were the total imports, by weight and value of quasi-flake moulds during each of the last six years; and what proportion of such imports came from Sweden.

The available statistics relate only to the import of cast-iron ingot moulds in general and during the present year, and are as follows:try for the securing of export orders on the lines recommended in the Central Policy Review Staff report without waiting for an amalgamation of General Electricity Company and Parsons which the Central Policy Review Staff recommended should be a prerequisite.

The Government are working closely with the industry to ensure that no worthwhile export opportunities are missed. In so doing, they are continuing to provide all possible assistance to secure overseas orders.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what were the total imports expressed in tonnes to the United Kingdom from each of the member States of COMECON during each of the last five years; and what were the corresponding United Kingdom exports to these States.

The available statistics do not record the weight of imports and exports in all cases and the extraction and summation of the weight information which is available would involve disproportionate costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the average increase of British export prices in the last 12 months.

The unit value index for total United Kingdom exports, on a balance of payments basis, rose by 14 per cent. between October 1976 and October 1977, an average monthly rate of increase of just over 1 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will seek powers to instruct a limited company to disclose names of members entitled to vote at meetings of the company.

I intend to review this matter when the outcome of current litigation under Section 113 of the Companies Act 1948 is known.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has asked for a further meeting with the Soviet Minister or officials with a view to establishing mutually acceptable guidelines for Soviet participation in international maritime trade; and whether any further consultations are anticipated in the near future.

I have not asked for a further meeting. As I have informed the Soviet Minister, I can see no value in a resumption of discussions on general guidelines until progress has been made in resolving some of the specific issues of concern to us.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what consultations are being carried out by him within the EEC to develop a common strategy to defend British shipping interests; and what progress has been made.

A number of shipping issues are being considered within the EEC. One of the most important from our point of view is that of competition from State-trading countries, particularly the Soviet Union. I expect proposals for a co-ordinated or concerted approach will come before the Council of Transport Ministers early in 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade why there has been continuing delay over the production of the Government's statement on airports policy; and if he will now give a definite date for publication.

The formulation of an airport strategy for Great Britain requires thorough consideration of many issues and, in particular, detailed examination of the views put forward during consultations with local authorities and other organisations. A White Paper will be issued early in 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he has received any indication from the Irish Government on behalf of Aer Lingus that an application is to be made for a licence to operate out of Liverpool Airport; and, if so, if he will give full details and indicate what progress has been made.

The possibility of Aer Lingus operating on the route Dublin-Liverpool-Amsterdam has been raised by the Irish authorities. The question is now being considered by the two Governments and the airlines involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the EEC Ministers' agreement of May 1977 on co-operation against terrorism, what steps have been taken to set up working groups of technical experts; how many such groups now exist; how often they have met; what is their composition; and if, within the limits of security, he will report on their progress to date.

The groups of technical experts comprise people with specialist knowledge of such matters as forensic science, computers, police communications and equipment. Their composition and structure vary according to the topics under discussion.In answer to a Question by the hon. Member on 16th June I published in the

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been put in hand to exchange police personnel among the EEC nations which signed last May's agreement on means to combat terrorism and hijacking; and, specifically, what common measures have been instituted to improve the co-operation of European police forces in regard to airport security and the exchange of information about political and ideological extremists operating on an international scale.

The emphasis in these developing contacts has been on establishing close working relationships, including exchanges of visits, at an operational level. On training, a conference took place at the Police College at Bramshill earlier this month of heads of police academies of the Nine on the content and training techniques of command training.With regard to airport security, arrangements for co-operation have been agreed between member States, and there is exchange of information both in respect of prevention and in connection with actual events. A series of visits by aviation security experts to major airports in each of the Nine countries is also taking place.There is also close liaison and frequent exchange of information between those directly concerned at operational level on known and potential terrorist groups and individuals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of theft from luggage at Heathrow Airport have been reported in each of the years 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977, respectively.

The information requested is not available except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of theft from luggage at Manchester Ringway Airport have been reported in each of the years 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977, respectively.

Information for the first three years is not available. 256 offences of theft of or from baggage or luggage were recorded by the police at Manchester Ringway Airport in the period 1st January 1977 to 31st October 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek to amend Section 1(1) of the Guard Dogs Act 1975 so as to allow the keeping of guard dogs on premises where there is no handler, provided that the dogs are chained up.

No. In the case of Hobson v. Gledhill (Queen's Bench Division, reported in The Times 12th October 1977) it was held that Section 1(1) of the Guard Dogs Act 1975 does not require a handler to remain on premises where there is a guard dog provided that the dog is secured so that it is not at liberty to go freely about the premises.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if negotiations concerning the pay and conditions of officers and other grades within the Prison Service are taking place; when a settlement is likely to be reached and announced; and when such a settlement would become operative.

The pay of non-industrial grades employed in the Prison Service will be reviewed at the same time as the pay of other non-industrial civil servants, for settlement on 1st April 1978. Negotiations are in progress with the Agricultural Wages Board which include the pay of agricultural staff employed in Prison Service establishments. The operative date for their settlement is 20th January 1978. The next review date for other industrial civil servants employed in Prison Service establishments is 1st July 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate the reasons for the high number of deaths of prisoners in Brixton Prison in comparison with other prisons over recent years; and if he will make a statement.

No. Since Brixton receives far more prisoners than any other prison the number of deaths at Brixton is not disproportionately high. Every death of a prisoner in prison is already the subject of an independent inquiry by a coroner.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the average daily number of women prisoners who had their children with them in prison in 1976;(2) how many women prisoners had their children with them at the most recent convenient date.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, North-West (Mr. Thomas) on 24th November.—[Vol. 939, c. 871–3.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities there are in the various prisons for women prisoners to have children over the age of 4 years with them.

None. Facilities are at present available only for children up to the age of 3.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many babies were born to inmates of Holloway Prison in 1976; and how many inmates had spontaneous or induced abortions.

Fourteen. There were two spontaneous abortions, and eight termina- tions of pregnancies were carried out in National Health Service hospitals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many babies were born to women serving prison sentences in England and Wales in 1976.

Twenty-eight. In addition, 29 babies were born to young women serving borstal sentences, and three to women in custody awaiting trial.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current coverage of Scotland by independent and BBC television; how many relay stations would be required to give Scotland full coverage; and what is the average cost of a relay station.

Responsibility for the provision and extension of their services rests with the broadcasting authorities, the BBC and the IBA. The broadcasting authorities tell me that about 96 per cent. of the population of Scotland are now able to receive UHF 625 line services. It is not possible to say how many relay stations would be required to give full coverage, but when the extension of UHF services to communities of over 500 people is complete, by about the end of 1982, there will be a total of 12 main and over 100 relay stations in Scotland serving around 97·7 per cent. of the population. Typical costs of equipping relay stations range between £40,000 and £80,000 depending on the power of the transmitters. Site and access costs are additional and in remote areas these can be considerable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the numerical strength of the retained or part-time firemen as a percentage of each of the total firefighting personnel in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge and Essex, respectively.

The number of retained firemen as a percentage of the total operational strengths of the fire brigades as at 31st December 1976 was:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the recent report of the inquiry into the feasibility of introducing a shorter working week for the Fire Service.

I have arranged for a copy of the report to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take against the striking firemen operating and reporting from an unauthorised radio transmitter without a licence from a concealed location in London.

It is not clear to which incident the Question refers, but I understand that any difficulties arising from the unauthorised use of Fire Service radio equipment in London have now ceased, following measures taken by the fire authorities. The responsibility for ensuring that there is no unauthorised use of the equipment rests with the fire authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, as a means of resolving the firemen's dispute, he will arrange for them to receive tax free transport or allowances to and from their homes and place of work on a similar basis to that enjoyed