asked the Lord President of the Council whether, in view of the fact that there has been a debate in the House of Lords on the Central Policy Review Staff's report on official overseas representation, he will seek to obtain the views of the House of Commons before coming to any decision on this matter.

I hope it will be possible to have a debate in this House, but I suggest it would be helpful to await the views of the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee of the Expenditure Committee which is currently studying the report.

asked the Lord President of the Council what are the purchase prices of all cakes and pastries sold in the public cafeteria; what is the sale price of each item and what percentage mark up in price this represents on each item.

I have been asked to reply.Sale prices of cakes and pastries are as advertised in the Strangers' Cafeteria, and an overall gross profit of 40 per cent. is generally aimed at.It is not the policy of the Catering Sub-Committee to make public the purchase price and the mark up of individual commodities.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will state his public engagements for 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his engagements for 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his engagements for 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for Thursday 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 8th December.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 8th December 1977.

asked the Prime Minister what are his official engagements for 8th December.

I refer the hon. Members and my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley).

asked the Prime Minister whether he is satisfied with co-ordination between the Secretary of State for Education and Science and the Secretary of State for the Environment in respect of the financing of primary and secondary education.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give details of the Government's policy on the need for additional refinery capacity, bearing in mind the requirements of North Sea oil; and if he will make a statement.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy said in his reply to the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Sillars) on 2nd December—[Vol. 940, c. 428]—it has been estimated that existing refining capacity in the United Kingdom will be more than enough to meet the demand for refined oil products both at home and for export for some years to come.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a table showing the value, at 1974 prices, of current levels of exports and imports from major Scottish ports.

Figures on tonnages and values of exports and imports through individual ports are produced by the National Ports Council and tonnage figures are published in "Annual Digest of Ports Statistics, Volume II" However, no corresponding figures are produced at constant prices and I regret that sufficiently detailed figures for individual commodities are not readily available in order to provide reliable estimates.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been Government expenditure on motorway maintenance in each of the past five years.

The information is as follows:

£ million at outturn prices
1972–73	1973–74	1974–75	1975–76	1976–77
6·6	6·9	9·8	17·3	22·6

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any proposals to speed up settlement of applications to the Motor Insurers' Bureau for compensation for injuries caused by untraced drivers, particularly where the amounts are comparatively small.

Yes. The bureau has very hopefully proposed a new procedure, applicable to settlements not exceeding £3,000 in the first instance and to cases where the applicant is adequately advised, under which applications could be settled without the need for the full formalities provided for by the present agreement between the bureau and my right hon. Friend. Under this new procedure, which would not apply where an identified driver is also involved or where the case presents unusual features, an applicant who agreed a settlement would waive his right to appeal to an arbitrator. I am satisfied that these arrangements will help to secure earlier settlement of a significant number of applications. A supplemental agreement embodying them has been drawn up and will be published as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what recommendations of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution have so far been implemented; how many are outstanding; and why.

The Royal Commission has published six reports embodying nearly 200 recommendations. Pollution Paper 4ߞpublished by Her Majesty's Stationery Office—summarises the Government's response to the first four reports, nearly all of whose recommendations were accepted. Following widespread consultation, the Government are considering the numerous recommendations of the Fifth Report and will make known their conclusions as soon as possible. The White Paper "Nuclear Power and the Environment", Cmnd. 6820, set out the Government's favourable response to the Sixth Report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much of the £100 million made available in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement on 15th July for the construction industry has been spent on projects (a) in the North-West and (b) on Merseyside; and how many construction workers have been thereby given employment.

I regret that information is not available in the form requested. However, the provisional allocation for projects in the North-West and on Merseyside of the housing and new towns part of the £100 million to assist construction announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 15th July is as follows:

	£ million
Total allocated to housing and new towns in England	56·6
Provisionally allocated to the North-west for housing and new towns	13·2
Provisionally allocated to Merseyside for housing and new towns	3·1

It is clear that this will be a positive help to the employment problem in the construction industry of the region, but it is not possible to estimate how many additional construction workers will be given employment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what register he maintains of disqualification of local councillors following criminal conviction or finding of other malpractices.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what global sums of money were paid to the individual county councils and the six largest metropolitan district councils in attendance and subsistence allowances for the councillors for these authorities in the year 1976.

The information requested is not available, but I would refer my hon. Friend to Volume II of "Remuneration of Councillors", the report of the Committee of Inquiry into the System of Remuneration of Members of Local Authorities, which was published on 1st December. Table B2 of Volume II gives an estimate of the cost of the various councillors' allowances—other than travel and subsistence allowances—in 1975–76, broken down by type of authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those authorities which will be worse off in real terms during the financial year 1978–79 so far as the needs element of rate support grant is concerned when compared with 1977–78.

The rate support grant settlement for 1978–79 assumed that total local authority expenditure would remain level in real terms. Since the basis of the grant distribution has been changed to reflect changes in the spending needs of different authorities, some will fare better in real terms in the 1978–79 distribution and others worse. Of the latter group the following authorities would appear, on present estimates, to lose most in real terms:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will use his power of direction under Section 138(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 to compel the Greater London Council, as the responsible river authority, to make grants to those in the London borough of Ealing who suffered damage to a considerable extent during the recent flood- ing, as outlined to him in correspondence by the hon. Member for Ealing, North.

The power of direction under Section 138(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 does not extend to compelling local authorities to make compensatory payments following emergencies or disaster. Under Section 138 local authorities have discretion to spend money or grant loans in connection with emergencies or disasters affecting their area. My right hon. Friend has to be notified of the action taken and may then give directions to the authority limiting the help or bring it to an end.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether it has been the practice for the Director-General of the Ordnance Survey to attend meetings of the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee;(2) whether it has in the past been the practice for the following officials of the Ordnance Survey to attend meetings of the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee in addition to the Director-General; the Director of Field Survey, the Director of Establishment and Finance, the Director of Map Publication, and the Deputy Director Publication;(3) when the decision was taken by the Ordnance Survey to reconstitute the membership of its Archaeological Advisory Committee following the Committee's request in October 1976 that an independent chairman be appointed;(4) whether the terms of reference of the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee have been changed in the recent process of reorganisation; and, if so, whether he will specify the changes;(5) how many and which officials of the Ordnance Survey attended the first meeting of the reconstituted Archaeological Advisory Committee;(6) what were the reasons for the change in the membership of the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee;(7) how many of the 25 members of the former Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee who attended its final meeting in October 1976 were invited to attend the first meeting of the reconstituted Archaeological Advisory Committee in October 1977;(8) what advice was taken from members of the existing Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee concerning its future composition;(9) why the Ordnance Survey withdrew secretarial services from the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee and transferred its place of meeting from the headquarters of the Ordnance Survey;(10) what further archaeological advice was sought relating to the future composition of the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee;(11) whether he intends to include representatives from archaeological organisations in Scotland on the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee;(12)whether the following bodies, which sent representatives to the former Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee, are among those which have been invited to do so to the reconstituted Advisory Committee: the Royal Historical Society, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, the British Association for Advancement of Science, the Schools Council History Committee, the Victoria County Histories of England, the Association of County Archaeological Officers, and the Museums Association;(13) whether the absence of the Director-General of the Ordnance Survey from the first meeting of the reconstituted Archaeological Advisory Committee was an oversight or a matter of policy;(14) whether financial considerations were the principal factor in the decision to change the membership of the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee;(15) whether the criticism in recent years by the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee of the policies of the Ordnance Survey was taken into account in the decision to reconstitute the Archaeological Advisory Committee.

There are several subjects on which the Ordnance Survey has found it convenient to exchange advice with specialised outside interests by way of, inter alia, informal advisory committees. In the case of archaeology, a committee was formed in 1969 and until 1976 the Ordnance Survey provided the chairmanship, secretariat and venue. It was customary for the director-general, directors, and some deputy directors of the Survey to attend meetings.In October 1976 the committee itself agreed, with a view to the advantages of greater independence, to consult the British Academy about reforming the committee under the academy's auspices and with an independent chairman, thus bringing it into line with the structure of several of the other advisory committees. The Ordnance Survey had no objection to this course. Members were informed on 9th June 1977 of the British Academy's willingness to act as proposed and no objections were made. The reconstituted committee held its first meeting on 24th October 1977. Its composition and procedures are a matter for the British Academy.The Ordnance Survey was invited to be represented. The Assistant Director of Geodetic Services, whose responsibilities include the Survey's archaeology branch, attended the first meeting in this capacity. This does not exclude the possibility that the director-general could attend on future occasions if he judged this desirable.The Archaeological Advisory Committee had from 1969 to 1976 the following terms of reference

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether travel and subsistence expenses were sought or received by the former members of the Ordinance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee, when attending the annual meeting at Southampton.

The Ordnance Survey has never paid expenses to members of its advisory committees. A proposal was made that this subject should be discussed at the meeting of the former Archaeological Advisory Committee in October 1976 but the matter was not pursued.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the level of staffing in the archaeology division of the Ordnance Survey in October 1975: and what is the present level of staffing, giving details of the total salary budgets in each case.

The levels of staffing in the Archaeology Branch of the Ordnance Survey are as follows:

		Total salary budget
October 1975	44	£185,105
Present	43	£221,056

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee, following the report of the working party chaired by Professor Grimes in 1973, urged the Ordnance Survey to augment staffing levels in its archaeology division.

Yes, but the proposal was not adopted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice the Director-General of the Ordnance Survey received from the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee in October 1976 and subsequently concerning the replacement of the Ordnance Survey Archaeology Office.

The former archaeological advisory committee discussed at its meeting in 1976 the specifications for the post of archaeology officer. No specific advice on this subject was received from the reconstituted committee at its meeting in October 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now seek the further advice of the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Advisory Committee on the desirability of filling the vacant position of Archaeology Officer, and also consult with the Royal Commissions on Historical Buildings and with the Ancient Monuments Board upon this matter.

These matters are under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence and representations he has received that the health and safety of passengers on the London Underground is threatened by asbestos dust; and what action has been taken.

I have been asked to reply.A number of representations have been received questioning whether the health and safety of passengers on the London Underground is threatened by asbestos dust, but these have not been supported by factual evidence. Levels of asbestos dust in the underground have been regularly monitored during the past 24 years. The amount recorded in the tunnels, trains and stations is extremely small and the highest concentrations found have been many times below the occupational exposure levels currently used by the Health and Safety Executive. In view of these findings no further action has been necessary; the monitoring will of course continue.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food whether he will improve the arrangements under which allocations of levy-free meat imports are made to ensure that smaller firms get fair treatment; and whether he will make a statement.

Levy-free imports of beef into the EEC are made under two schemes; the balance sheet for manufacturing beef, and the GATT quota for frozen beef. Allocation by the Commission of import licences under the balance sheet schemes reflects the bids submitted by the processors and importers throughout the Community. Under the GATT quote scheme allocation of the United Kingdom share is carried out by my Department and is based primarily on the applicant's past performance. Consultation are currently being under-taken with the interests concerned about the basis of allocations in 1978.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his talks with the EEC Ministers over the common fisheries policy.

He hopes to be able to make a full statement to the House tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what directives have been issued to the Milk Marketing Board concerning the marking of milk output in imperial or metric measures.

None. The Milk Marketing Scheme 1933, as amended, empowers the Milk Marketing Board to determine the ways in which milk is to be marked. Ministers cannot therefore issue directives to the MMB concerning milk marking. The agricultural industry has undertaken a voluntary programme of metrication, the Milk Marketing Board's changeover to metric units taking effect from 1st October 1976.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish a table of figures showing to what extent food prices will rise in January 1978 when Great Britain's transitional entry ends.

Retail food prices are affected by a number of factors, including the level of demand and the availability of supplies. The effects of the final changes under the Treaty of Accession may be spread over a considerable period and I cannot predict how they will affect prices in January.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he proposes to take to stop the dumping of Irish beef on the United Kingdom market.

I have been asked to reply.Imports of beef from the Irish Republic enter the United Kingdom subject to the terms of the Community's beef regimé and agri-monetary system. The trade which is taking place is thus not contrary to Community provisions. I am aware that the quantities of Irish beef on the United Kingdom market have increased this year and my right hon. Friends and I will take full account of this and other relevant factors in the forthcoming EEC negotiation of prices for the 1978–79 marketing year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money from official EEC sources is being given to the respective political parties in the United Kingdom for preparations for direct elections to a European Assembly.

The Assembly made provision in its 1977 budget for the distribution of 2 million units of account—about £830,000 in sterling—to the political groups in the European Assembly on the basis of the strength of their representation. The distribution to the parties in each group is for decision within that group. The Assembly's provision in the 1978 budget is for 4·89 million European units of account—about £3 million—to be distributed on the same basis.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations he has held on the utilisation of North Sea oil revenue.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had concerning the future use of oil revenues.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had concerning the distribution of revenue from North Sea oil.

The Government intend to publish in the New Year a discussion document setting out the economic options and the alternative uses for the increased revenues from North Sea oil. Discussions have been held with the TUC/Labour Party Liaison Committee and members of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the matters to which the Government propose to devote the revenues from North Sea oil.

No. But as I said in my answer earlier this afternoon to my hon. Friends the Members for Chorley (Mr. Rodgers) and Ealing, North (Mr. Molloy) the Government expect to publish a discussion document in the New Year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the distinction between wage rates and earnings in the context of the Government's pay guidelines.

Any given rate of earnings increase implies a significantly lower rate of increase in basic wage rates. The rate of increase in earnings takes account of overtime, job changes and other factors.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the rate of VAT on lawn mowers.

12½ per cent. in the case of lawn mowers powered by electricity or an internal combustion engine if they are of a kind suitable for domestic use; 8 per cent. in all other cases.

Marshall asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now consider a single rate of VAT for the boat building industry.

I am conscious of the hon. Member's interest in this matter. I will bear his suggestion in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average annual rate of inflation since March 1974; and how this compares with the average annual rate of inflation between June 1970 and February 1974.

The average annual rate of inflation between March 1974 and October 1977 was 18·1 per cent. This stands in a better relation to the performance of the previous Administration than their's did to their predecessors.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his current estimate of the rate of inflation.

In the 12 months up to October, the retail price index rose by 14·1 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what have been the five most important causes of inflation since March 1974; and if he will give the estimated percentage of inflation which each has caused.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Mr. Mitchell) on 7th July for information on the preceding two years. I regret that information on earlier periods is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he next proposes to meet the Managing Director of the IMF.

As Chairman of the IMF Interim Committee, I will be keeping in touch with Mr. Witteveen.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made within the IMF to deal with the debt problems of the hardest hit developing countries.

The main purpose of the IMF is to help countries in overall balance of payments need. In addition, more liberal access to the Fund's compensatory financing facility has been agreed and a trust fund has been set up to lend on concessional terms to the poorest countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if Her Majesty's Government have agreed on a strategy for non-inflationary growth as raised at ministerial conferences of the OECD; and whether he will place a statement of the strategy in the Library.

The strategy for sustained economic expansion which OECD Ministers agreed at their meeting of 21st-22nd June 1976 was set out in the communiqué issued after that meeting. This was later published in the "OECD Observer" No. 82, July 1976, pages 4–7. The strategy was reaffirmed at the OECD ministerial council meeting of 23rd–24th June 1977, and relevant extracts from the communiqué were published in the "OECD Observer" No. 87, July 1977, pages 4–6. Copies of these publications are in the Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he next plans to discuss EEC budgetary contributions with the Finance Ministers of the EEC.

This question was considered by the European Council on 5th and 6th December. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made a statement yesterday on the conclusions of the Council. I am not certain whether there will be any need for further discussions by Finance Ministers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the consequences for European Community economic and monetary union as a result of the enlargement of the Community to include Spain, Portugal and Greece.

A full assessment must await the Commission's opinion on the application for membership of each country, but the prospective enlargement of the Community will clearly have to be taken into account in any future consideration of progress towards closer economic and monetary union.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if in view of the greatly reduced warning time for NATO forces, he will now introduce legislation to seek to permit the requisitioning of ships and civil aircraft in time of tension but before war is declared.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraphs 14–17 of the Government Observations on the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee (House of Commons Paper 393 Session 1976–77) issued as Cmnd. 7011.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give instructions that no further military equipment is to be sold to the repressive Government of El Salvador.

We have at present no plans for further sales of defence equipment to El Salvador.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many beds are currently available for service use at Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital, Woolwich; and when he expects the hospital to be fully operational.

The Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital has 371 equipped beds at present. These are all available for use by Service personnel and their entitled dependants although, in practice, some beds may be occupied by NHS patients undergoing treatment at the hospital on a fill-up basis. It is planned that the hospital will become fully operational in August 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans as regards the future of the post of Chief of Personnel and Logistics.

In view of the importance at the present time of personnel and logistics issues, I have decided not to proceed with the proposal, announced in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1977 (Cmnd 6735), that the post of Chief of Personnel and Logistics should lapse. The Chief of Personnel and Logistics will, in addition, assume certain responsibilities of the Vice-Chief of Defence Staff. The post will be re-titled Vice-Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Logistics), and the holder will be a member of the Defence Council. The post of Vice-Chief of Defence Staff will lapse.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is considering adjustments in the rate of local overseas allowance to be paid to Service men abroad; and whether he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. and gallant Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Critchley) on 26th October 1977—[Vol. 936, c. 693]—which applies generally elsewhere abroad.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the Government have applied Section 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act 1947 to any proceedings since 26th October 1976.

Yes, but the Ministry of Defence keeps no separate records of such cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the amount spent on advertising in the Belfast Telegraph, Belfast Newsletter and Irish News on recruitment to the Army, excluding the Ulster Defence Regiment, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force each year since 1970; and what was the response each year to each newspaper campaign in terms of replies and conversions;(2) what was the amount spent on advertising in the

Details of expenditure on Press advertising by the Central

			1973–74	1974–75	1975–76	1976–77
			£	£	£	£
Royal Navy/Royal Marines
Belfast Telegraph	…	…	Nil	1,535	1,000	670
Belfast Newsletter	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Irish News	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Army (excluding UDR and TAVR)
Belfast Telegraph	…	…	1,930	580	1,460	890
Belfast Newsletter	…	…	580	375	725	Nil
Irish News	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
TAVR
Belfast Telegraph	…	…	Nil	Nil	835	410
Belfast Newsletter	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	250
Irish News	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
UDR
Belfast Telegraph	…	…	2,270	17,870	8,680	5,210
Belfast Newsletter	…	…	1,170	10,585	3,310	2,850
Irish News	…	…	400	6,340	2,120	1,675
Royal Air Force
Belfast Telegraph	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Belfast Newsletter	…	…	120	Nil	Nil	Nil
Irish News	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil

Details of expenditure for earlier years are not available.Response to individual press advertisements may take any one of a number of forms and there is no reliable way of assessing it in precise quantitative terms for particular newspapers.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what effect fire-fighting duties have had on the training programmes of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, respectively.

Fire-fighting duties have involved penalties on training in the three Services. For example, some operational training courses in the Royal Navy have been suspended. In the Army, recruit and employment training has been seriously disrupted and, in the RAF, training schools are encountering some difficulty in avoiding programmes falling behind schedule. The training and support organisations of the Services have had to bear the brunt of providing much of the manpower for assisting the fire authorities because of our aim of avoiding interference with operational readiness or important exercises.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what will be the net cost of making good the training programmes affected by fire fighting of the Royal

The extra costs identified by the Ministry of Defence as arising out of the assistance given to the civil authorities during the firemen's strike will be recovered from the appropriate civil departments.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his Department's intention to hold another arms sales exhibition similar to that held in 1976 at Aldershot; and if he will list in the Official Report the names of those organisations invited to exhibit their products and those countries invited to send delegates.

An exhibition similar to that held in 1976 will take place at Aldershot in June 1978. Some 500 companies have been invited to take part in the exhibition and 155 have so far accepted. It is not our practice to release information about those countries which have been invited to send delegates.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what amount will be payable to the estate of a single member of the reserve forces who dies on service as a result of an accident after 1st December.

With effect from 1st December 1977, £430·15.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new leaflet containing advice to members of the reserve forces about their financial position in the event of injury or death and which, in answers to the hon. Member for Upminster on 14th May 1974 and 10th November 1976, he stated was being prepared and issued, has yet been prepared and issued.

		Royal Naval Reserve	Royal Marines Reserve	Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve	Total
1976	…	12 (12)	—	7(2)	19(14)
1977 (to date)	…	—	—	6(4)	6(4)

The figures for 1976 include those contained in the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 29th October 1976.—[Vol. 918, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost to date in 1977 of this Department's advertising in the Morning Star.

During 1977 no advertisements have been placed in the Morning Star by the Ministry of Defence.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she has yet made a decision regarding the charitable status of public schools.

No. The definition of charitable purposes in general is currently under consideration in the light of the Tenth Report from the Expenditure Committee in the Session 1974–75 and of the report of the com-

I regret that unforeseen delays occurred in the production of the leaflet. It has now been sent for printing and will be available shortly. Copies will be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will update the information given in answer to the hon. Member for Upminster on Thursday 28th October 1976 concerning the number of reservists who have died while on duty, indicating where known if the death was attributable to an accident.

The number of members of the Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve and Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve who have died while on duty in the last two years is as follows, the number of deaths resulting from accidents being shown in parenthesis:mittee on charity law and voluntary organisations set up by the National Council of Social Service under the chairmanship of Lord Goodman.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she set up the group to study the one-year sixth form examination recommended to her Department by the Schools Council 18 months ago; who are the members of the group; if there is a representative of the Association of Principals of Sixth Form Colleges; and, if not, whether she will appoint one.

My right hon. Friend announced on 4th November— [Vol. 938, c. l75]—her intention to set up a group to study the Schools Council proposals for a Certificate of Extended Education and other courses, and is considering the possible membership. Members will be appointed in an individual capacity but will include persons with appropriate experience in schools and further education.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the cost to public funds of recent marches by the National Front.

This information could not be obtained without disproportionate effort and expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has expressed his thanks to Barclays Bank for the donation of £25,000 to police charities following the successful arrest and conviction of the murderer of a bank clerk in the hon. Member for Richmond's constituency.

No. The donation was made by the bank to the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to dispose of to police charities as he saw fit, and I understand that he has thanked the bank for it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Office if he will introduce legislation to give statutory status to the Press Council in the light of the papers sent to him by the hon. Member for Dunbartonshire, Central.

The status and functions of the Press Council are discussed in the Final Report of the Royal Commission on the Press, published in July this year. The Government have invited public comment on the many issues raised by the report, and my hon. Friend's repre- sentations will be taken into account in that context.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the number of employees within his Department who are on a basic 48 hour and 40 hour week, respectively.

On 1st October 1977, 64 and 19,349 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prisoners held in Her Majesty's prisons were awaiting trial during each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

The information is contained in Table 1.4 on pages 10 and 11 of the report on the work of the Prison Department 1976 (Statistical Tables) published as Cmnd. 6884.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he will not, in the light of charges of bribery and corruption in the police force made in the book "The Fall of Scotland Yard", move to appoint a Select Committee to investigate all aspects of this matter.

My hon. Friend is well aware of the action taken by Sir Robert Mark, the former Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, to deal with allegations of corruption against members of the Metropolitan Police, not least the extensive investigations which led to the convictions of a number of officers and former officers in the trials in December 1976 and in May and July this year. Against that background, and given that the Director of Public Prosecutions does not contemplate further proceedings on the evidence available to him as a result of those investigations, I do not believe that any further inquiry into the matters dealt with in this book would now be justified.I should also like to make it clear that, for my part, I feel no misgivings whatsoever as to the determination and ability of the present Commissioner and his senior colleagues to investigate fully and thoroughly any new allegations or complaints that may be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reply has been given to the letter from the Chief Executive Officer of the borough of Broxbourne of 18th November expressing dissatisfaction with the consultation procedure adopted in relation to Metropolitan Police Fund Estimates.

I am awaiting a report from the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District on his recent consultative meeting with local authority representatives about the precept. As soon as I have been able to consider this, I shall reply to the borough and write to the right hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firemen have tendered their resignations from their fire services during the last three weeks; how this figure compares with the number of resignations during the same period in 1976; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that the information requested is not available. In England and Wales during 1976, 691 whole-time firemen resigned from the service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated annual cost of the Fire Brigade Union's wage claim.

About £45 million. This figure is necessarily an approximate one and relates to all operational ranks in the Fire Service. It is not possible to provide a separate estimate for those ranks only on whose behalf the Fire Brigades Union has submitted a claim.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many proposals submitted by district councils to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England were withdrawn and resubmitted following the 1976 local elections;(2) how many of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England's draft proposals have been substantially changed following local informal hearings;(3) how many proposals by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England have been substantially those submitted by the district councils.

I regret that this information cannot be produced without disproportionate expenditure. The Commission has submitted over 200 reports with its proposals for new electoral arrangements for districts and London boroughs. To provide the information requested, it would be necessary carefully to examine all the reports and to refer to the Commission in any cases where the particulars requested did not emerge clearly from the published document. Copies of the Commission's reports are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the Scottish shipyards in public and private ownership, respectively, which are able to construct North Sea oil supply ships; if he will show against each yard the largest ships it is able to build; and what is the number of people employed.

All Scottish shipyards in public ownership are capable of constructing North Sea oil supply ships. The hon. Member should ask British Shipbuilders which would be most suitable for a particular requirement. Which yards in private ownership could do so is a matter for the managements concerned. The maximum size of vessel which can be constructed in particular yards is recorded in the Directory of Shipowners, Shipbuilders and Marine Engineer.I am not in a position to disclose employment in individual yards and the hon. Member should ask British Shipbuilders and the managements of yards in private ownership for this information.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give a breakdown by product of the 4·5 million tonnes total steel capacity proposed for Scotland in 1980.

The British Steel Corporation's current steel finishing capacity in Scotland is divided approximately as follows:

	per cent.
strip products	36
plate	30
tubes	13
sections	12
billets, bars and rods	8
other	1

The make-up of future capacity will be influenced by the way in which market opportunities develop.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much public money has been devoted to a steel export berth at the Hunterston development; and what is the extent of the facilities.

None. The port facilities being provided are for handling imported bulk supplies, such as iron ore, and will be capable of use for the export of similar materials only.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, with reference to the British Steel Corporation development programme, what is the total value of orders likely to be placed in the current year and in the next two years; and whether he contemplates any curtailment of the investment programme while the Corporation is operating at about 60 per cent. capacity.

INGOTS, SEMI-FINISHED AND FINISHED STEEL
Million tonnes
January-October
			1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977
Imports	…	…	2·66	2·78	3·82	3·74	4·10	3·09
Exports	…	…	4·45	3·99	3·15	3·02	3·53	3·61

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will consider any further extension of the Export

During the current financial year the Corporation expects under its capital development programme to place new orders worth about £250 million and to spend over £500 million. Provisions for the next two years are now being discussed.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when his Department was first made aware of definite British Steel Corporation intentions to construct steelmaking capacity at Hunterston; what was that first proposal; and if he will list the changes of plan known to his Department since that date.

The proposal, for an electric arc steel-making plant, came to the Department in 1975. No decisions on changes have been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he expects the Polsko Brytyjskie Przediewziecie Zeglugowe Sp. Z.Oo Szczecin to be instituted; and how much cash British Shipbuilders is subscribing for the shares.

I refer to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 7th December.—[Vol. 940, c. 704.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the volume of exports and imports of steel in each of the last five years.

Following is the information:Credits Guarantee Department performance bond support scheme.

In the light of a further year's experience of operating the scheme, and following consultation with the banks, I have decided to reduce the £1 million qualifying limit for eligible contracts. In future ECGD bond-issue support will be available for export contracts on cash or near-cash terms with a value of £500,000 or more.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what effect the Anglo-Polish shipping agreement will have on trade in other products and in particular in chipboard and allied products.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the cost of insulating a modern four-apartment bungalow in Scotland.

Depending on the measures taken, between £75 and £250.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total living space in the average new four-apartment, three-apartment and two-apartment local authority and Scottish Special Housing Association house, respectively.

The average total floor areas of local authority houses by size is given in Table 27 of "Housing and Construction Statistics", published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Corresponding information for houses belonging to the Scottish Special Housing Association is available from the Association.