asked the Secretary of State for Defence what new precautions have recently been introduced in Royal naval dockyards to protect men working with asbestos; and if he is satisfied that the equipment available and the precautions in force give full protection from asbestosis.

The present safety precautions to be observed by men working with asbestos in the Royal dockyards have been in force for some time. They meet statutory requirements and are well up to recognised international standards. They are kept under review. No new precautions have recently been introduced. A wide range of approved protective equipment is available for employees required to work with asbestos. I am satisfied that dockyard workers are given full protection from possible hazards arising from working with asbestos.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has given further consideration to the situation of the pre-1950 Service widows since his Department carried out a review of their situation in 1975.

The study undertaken by my Department in 1975 revealed that there was no way in which the rules governing these widows could be changed without causing unacceptable repercussions throughout the whole of the public sector. As I explained to the House on 3rd May 1976, this is, unfortunately, still the case.—[Vol. 910, c. 1025–36].

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if any houses owned by his Department are located within the Ormskirk constituency; and how many were empty at the latest available date.

The Ministry of Defence owns two houses within the Ormskirk constituency. Both are occupied.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the facilities for the surveillance of Warsaw Pact shipping and submarines in the Southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

It would be contrary to normal practice for me to comment on such matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much was allowed to the London borough of Newham over the past five years to assist in its education problems arising from immigration.

In addition to the central Government contribution through the rate support grant, specific grants at the rate of 75 per cent. can be made under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 and the Urban Programme. Newham's expenditure on educational staff salaries and wages accepted for grant under Section 11 amounts to cover Ellmillion for the five financial years 1973–78, including an estimated figure for 1977–78. In the same period the total cost of projects approved under the Urban Programme, which were wholly or partially of an educational nature and catered specifically or to some extent for the needs of ethnic minority groups, amounted to about £80,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she intends to publish the Government's White Paper on Education.

I have at present no plans to publish a general White Paper on education policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimates she has of the number of Chinese-speaking immigrant children at present in schools in the United Kingdom.

The information is not collected by my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total subsidy in ordinary and supplementary grants made by the EEC to its European Schools for the year 1977 together with their estimated gross cost; and if he will set out a table showing for

School							Total cost in Belgian Francs (millions)	Number of Pupils	Number of Staff
Brussels I	…	…	…	…	…	…	391	2,629	226
Brussels II	…	…	…	…	…	…	99	1,124	70
Luxembourg		…	…	…	…	…	286	2,330	160
Varese (Italy)		…	…	…	…	…	366	1,762	146
Mol (Belgium)		…	…	…	…	…	194	980	110
Karlsruhe (West Germany)				…	…	…	119	881	79
Bergen (Holland)		…	…	…	…	…	81	629	57
							1,536	10,335	848

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she has any plans to seek to amend the religious education provisions of the Education Act 1944: and if she will make a statement.

I have repeatedly made clear that I have no plans at present to change the law in this respect. While I would like to see the law reflect the current need for schools to provide religious education rather than religious instruction, most agreed syllabuses already reflect this change of emphasis. I am sure that the study of Christianity must continue to occupy a major part of such syllabuses, but religious education can also help to prepare children for life in a multi-faith society. It should continue to be a compulsory subject in the curriculum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he has appointed Lord Winstanley as Chairman of the Countryside Commission; what

The total subsidy made by the EEC by means of initial and supplementary grants to its European Schools for the year 1977 amounted to 1,088 million Belgian francs compared with a total gross cost of 1,536 million Belgian francs.The total cost for each school together with the numbers of pupils and full-time equivalent teaching and non-teaching staff as at 1st September 1977 is as follows:are his qualifications; what wages or salary he will receive; what expenses he will be able to claim; how many hours per week he will be employed; how these compare with the former Chairman's activities: and whether he will give a detailed list of the members of the Commission, their qualifications and the salary or expenses as paid or drawn for the longest and most convenient stated period.

The most important requirement in selecting Commissioners, including the Chairman, is to pick people of the right calibre with the right experience. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales appointed Lord Winstanley because he is the best available man for the job.The arrangements are the same as for his predecessor. His salary is £5,400 plus a supplement of £125·28 per annum. This is based on three days' work a week. He and his fellow Commissioners, most of whom are unpaid, are entitled to travel expenses and subsistence allowances at normal Civil Service rates. In the last nine months of 1977 claims from all the Commissioners amounted to £7,648.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will give a report on the progress made by water authorities in meeting the EEC directive on bathing water quality on the beaches of the United Kingdom.

The Department is currently consulting the local authority associations and the water industry. In the light of these discussions we shall be issuing advice to water and local authorities on the application of this directive and, in particular, on the identification of "bathing waters".

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the forms and content of official statistics concerning waterways; and if he intends to review current practice.

I am satisfied that the present form and content of waterways statistics collected by my Department and the Department of Transport are adequate for the purposes for which they are required. The possibility of extending the scope of official waterways statistics was considered in 1975 after extensive discusion with the Inland Waterways Association; but it was decided that the cost involved could not be justified by the likely benefits, and this remains valid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is prepared to use his power under Section 43 of the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act to vary the advice given in Circular 5/60 in order to allow local authorities, that so wish, to charge the same rate of interest on house purchase advances as that currently recommended by the Building Societies Association.

It is implicit in Section 3 of the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act 1958 that local authority home loans schemes should be run as far as practicable without loss. Legislation would be needed if losses were to be incurred by local authorities lending at the current Building Societies Association recommended rate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will investigate abuses of the Housing Act 1974 occurring at Kensington and Chelsea and Bath that allow builders to take out property leases and receive improvement grants from those local authorities; and if he will take steps to obtain the necessary powers to stop such abuses.

I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the texts of any correspondence which he has had relating to the appointment of a new Director of the Sports Council which he believes should be public knowledge; and what information he has regarding the date of the meetings of that Council which received the resignation of the present Director, approved the form and manner of the advertisement for his successor, and approved the recommendation of its selection committee.

I understand that at a meeting of the Sports Council on 10th October a member raised under any other business the question whether the post of Director of the Sports Council was likely to become vacant, and was informed that the present Director is due to retire at the end of March and arrangements were in hand to appoint his successor in time for the Council to be informed at its meeting on 19th December. There was discussion of the procedure for the appointment, and it was agreed that a job description should be sent to members, and also that in due course, in confidence, members would receive a short list of applicants, who would be interviewed by a selection board; and that subsequently the recommendation of the board would be put to the Council for approval.The Council also agreed that a senior official of the Department of the Environment should be invited to be present at the interviews conducted by the selection board. The Chairman of the Sports Council discussed the matter with officials of the Department and it was agreed that the Department's representative would attend as an assessor and in a professional capacity, as it would have been undesirable for the selection board to have included a member representing the Minister's views. The Department was not consulted about the composition of the short list of eight candidates who were interviewed on Friday 16th December.At a meeting of the Council on Monday 19th December, at which I was present, the Chairman reported the recommendation of the selection board. Concern was expressed by a number of members about the selection process, and in particular that details of the short-listed candidates had not been circulated in advance as previously agreed. At that meeting I had to point out that under the provisions of the Royal Charter establishing the Sports Council this appointment required the approval of the Secretary of State which would need time for consideration since Ministers had not so far been consulted.In carrying out the functions required of him by the Royal Charter the Secretary of State must be satisfied that the Director of the Sports Council is competent to be accounting officer for the Council's public expenditure; is qualified in matters of sport and physical recreation; and can be expected to hold the confidence of the Council and those with whom it works in the promotion of sport.After careful consideration I was unable to endorse the recommendation of the selection board. I believe it to be quite intolerable to discuss in public the merits of individual applicants for public posts and I have resolutely refused to do so. Since the recommendation became public knowledge which I very much regret, I have received a large number of representations overwhelmingly supporting the decision I have taken.The Chairman of the Sports Council had a lengthy discussion with me on 21st December, and I gave him a full explanation of my thinking, the conclusions of which were formally confirmed by letter on the following day. He then wrote on 23rd December asking me for further information that he could give the Council by way of comment or advice, and I replied on 5th January setting out fully the considerations I had in mind, saying he was quite free to convey the contents of my letter to the Council, though of course in confidence, together with my willingness to speak to the Council in person if desired.The Sports Council met on 10th January, and I understand that it adopted two resolutions, the first of which was conveyed to me. The Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen came to see me that day to ask me to reconsider the original recommendation. I told them that after further consideration I was still unable to endorse the recommendation.I understand, therefore, that the Sports Council will be re-advertising the post in accordance with its second resolution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the rate support grant settlement for 1978–79 is calculated on the basis of an increase in the charge for school meals of 10 pence each in the school year 1978–79.

I have been asked to reply.No decisions have yet been taken about the level of the school meal charge in 1978–79.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a statement on the latest developments concerning the introduction of the tachograph into Great Britain under Common Market directions; when this is to operate; and what is the estimated cost.

The Government have very recently replied to a letter from the EEC Commission about the requirements of Regulation (EEC) No. 1463/70. The cost of installing a tachograph is about £175, or a little less for vehicles equipped during manufacture. There is also a standard fee of £10 for calibration of the instrument prior to use.

asked the Secretary of State for 'Transport (1) what steps he is taking in order to ensure that motor vehicles are not used on public roads without a road fund licence; (2) what is his estimate of the total amount of revenue lost to Her Majesty's Government by reason of individuals failing to take out road fund licences.

Enforcement action taken last year on more than a million reports led to £51 million in fines and mitigated penalties in lieu of prosecution. I shall shortly have a report on an up-to-date survey of the present level of evasion, and I have measures in mind if that shows them to be necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps have been taken since May 1977 to speed up the handling of mail despatched by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre in Swansea.

High level approaches to the Post Office have seen the establishment of a joint liaison group which monitors performance, a doubling of the number of direct dispatches of mail in bulk from Swansea to major towns, and a series of useful changes to our own and Post Office procedures. All of this has already produced a worthwhile improvement in handling.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce the findings of the Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment.

The report was published on 10th January, and I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Belper (Mr. MacFarquhar) on that day.—[Vol. 941, c. 716–7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is now able to publish the line of the recommended route for the Saltash-Trerulefoot section of the A38 trunk road improvement; and, if not, when he expects to make an announcement in respect of the preferred route.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement in the spring.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is yet able to make a firm announcement on plans to bypass Market Harborough; and how far his plans in this respect have proceeded.

We are still considering whether a scheme for a bypass of Market Harborough should be added to the trunk road preparation pool.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to commence the construction of the MI-Al link road or alternatively the necessary bypassing to relieve congestion in villages on the A427.

Subject to the satisfactory completion of the necessary statutory procedures and to the availability of funds at the time, construction of the M1-A1 link road could start in the early or mid-1980s. Its provision would help in relieving congestion in villages on the A427.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the cost of changing the road signs in the United Kingdom from miles to kilometres.

At current prices, between £7½ and £8½ million.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what qualifications will be required for non-Civil Service members of the Civil Service Pay Research Unit; and what will be their terms and conditions of appointment and their remuneration.

Salary survey officers recruited to the Civil Service Pay Research Unit from outside the Civil Service will be expected to have five years' general experience in personnel management including at least two years' specialised work in job analysis and evaluation or salary administration. Appointments will be for a limited period, with a salary range from £5,887 to £6,887 inclusive of London weighting and pay supplements.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service when he expects the Chairman and members of the new Civil Service Pay Research Unit Board to be appointed; and what will be their terms and conditions of appointment and their remuneration.

Appointments will be made by the Prime Minister on a similar basis to those made to the pay Review Bodies and will be unpaid. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service when the Civil Service Pay Research Unit will be reconstituted to include people from outside the Civil Service; and what proportion of the new unit will be civil servants.

In 1978, its first year of operation after reactivation, the unit plans to recruit four out of 23 full-time survey officers from outside the Civil Service.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service, what was the percentage increase in the pay bill of the non-industrial Civil Service for the period covered by pay restraint, pro rata, taking account of an increase or decrease in the numbers employed.

The information is not available in the form requested, and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost. The cost of the main pay settlement for the non-industrial Civil Service on 1st April 1976 was estimated at £171 million, representing an average addition to basic pay of 9·8 per cent. for those eligible, and the cost of that on 1st April 1977 was estimated at £85·5 million or 4·7 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many Acts of Parliament within his responsibility in the last three parliamentary Sessions have had clauses or sections not yet brought into force by appropriate commencement orders; and if he will list them.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what charges his Department makes annually for the commercial use of oil pipelines and harbour installations maintained by his Department for home defence purposes; and how the amounts of such charges are decided upon.

The income for the financial year 1977–78 from the commercial users of the Government pipeline system is expected to be about £1·8 million. The income from the one commercial user of associated harbour installations—the jetty at Killingholme—is relatively small, and cannot for commercial reasons be divulged. Long-term contracts have generally been negotiated with commercial users of the pipeline, and the charges under these contracts take full account of the costs of operating and maintaining the pipeline and of market conditions at the time of negotiation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in order to inform himself about the negotiations for an internal settlement as well as to maintain British interests in Rhodesia, he will reopen the British Mission in Salisbury.

No. We are satisfied at present with the arrangements for informing ourselves about developments in Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the cost to date of Field Marshal Lord Carver's talks and travels; what they have achieved; and whether he will suspend them in the interest of an internal settlement in Rhodesia.

The total estimated cost of Lord Carver's recent visit to Maputo was approximately £4,500: that of his visit to African capitals in October and November 1977 was approximately £47,500. Following his previous talks in Africa with the parties and other Front Line Presidents, Lord Carver's recent talks in Maputo were detailed and most useful. Her Majesty's Government intend to pursue energetically their efforts to secure an internationally acceptable settlement on the basis of the Anglo/United States proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will give an assurance that the BBC World Service will not be directed to make broadcasts on human rights directed specifically against South Africa at the request of the United Nations.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend to a Question from the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Griffiths) on 10th January.—[Vol. 941, c. 1437.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what request have been made for facilities for United Nations broadcasts directed against Governments in Commnist countries and the Third World which transgress the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why he instructed the British representative at the United Nations to cast his vote in favour of the use of the BBC's overseas broadcasting facilities for United Nations propaganda.

In line with the Government's frequent condemnation of apartheid our representative was instructed to vote in favour of a composite resolution covering a wide range of measures designed to combat it. This does not necessarily imply endorsement of all its detailed provisions we consider that the use of the BBC's facilities for broadcasting material on apartheid is for the Corporation itself to decide.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek from the Government of El Salvador further clarification of statements made by their spokesmen on the conditions on which the £850,000 worth of defence equipment to be purchased from the United Kingdom is to be supplied before this equipment is delivered.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on the guarantees sought and received from the Government of El Salvador regarding the future use of weapons supplied by Great Britain in the context of the Belize dispute, and in the light of the recent statements of the Foreign Minister of El Salvador quoted in the Latin American Newsletter.

I would refer my hon. Friends to an answer given by my right hon. Friend in answer to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, Central (Mr. McNamara) on 16th December.—[Vol. 941, c. 484–5.]—I am advised that subsequent reports in the Latin America Political Report and elsewhere, attributing certain statements to the Foreign Minister of El Salvador, are incorrect.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures exist for hon. Members to discover how the £3 million of public money from the Community budget being distributed in 1978 to the political groups in the European Assembly for preparations for direct elections is actually being apportioned and to monitor how much is being received by British political parties; how such sums are being spent in the United Kingdom; and what arrangements exist for the House of Commons to monitor such expenditure of public moneys.

The apportionment of this money will be decided by the European Assembly. In 1977, 2 million units of account were similarly allocated, to be divided amongst the political parties in proportion to the number of their representatives in the Assembly, but none of this money was spent. It will be for the British political parties to decide what information to publish on their receipts and expenditure. Any expenditure on candidates standing in direct elections will have to conform to the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether, in the light of negotiations to supply the Indian Government under the British aid programme with six ships built by British Shipbuilders and paid for entirely by British public funds, the Government intend to divert more of the overseas aid budget to the support of loss-making British industries.

These ships would be financed from the normal aid allocation for India at the request of the Indian Government. No diversion of funds would, therefore, be involved. Within the criteria for allocating our aid programme in the 1975 White Paper "More-Aid for the Poorest", we think it right to benefit our own trade and industries as much as possible. In addition we decided last year to allow a small proportion of the bilateral aid programme—around 5 per cent—to be available to give higher priority to the commercial importance of a limited number of developmentally sound projects we identify in developing countries for which there is no aid allocation available or where the allocation is already fully committed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now reply to the hon. Member for Perth and East Perthshire concerning the matter which the hon. Member for Perth and East Perthshire raised with him on 28th October 1977, namely, the legality of the confidential circular issued to the secretaries of health boards in Scotland instructing them to impose sanctions against companies considered to be in breach of a pay policy.

I have no record of a communication of 28th October 1977 from the hon. Member for Perth and East Perthshire (Mr. Crawford).On the point raised, I know of no grounds on which the legality of the circulars could be challenged.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether work expenses affect entitlement to any means-tested benefits other than free school meals.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing expenditure on supplementary benefit for (a) strikers and (b) strikers' dependants, in each year since 1966, at current prices and at January 1978 prices.

					Strikers		Strikers' Dependants
Year					Current Prices	November 1977 Prices	Current Prices	November 1977 Prices
					£	£	£	£
1966	…	…	…	…	1,454	4,400	126,134	384,000
1967	…	…	…	…	1,770	5,300	375,330	1,132,000
1968	…	…	…	…	749	2,100	333,722	946,000
1969	…	…	…	…	1,401	3,800	747,141	2,012,000
1970	…	…	…	…	2,191	5,400	1,445,912	3,609,000
1971	…	…	…	…	5,434	12,400	4,309,149	9,844,000
1972	…	…	…	…	181,447	385,000	8,380,124	17,783,000
1973	…	…	…	…	2,950	5,700	729,302	1,403,000
1974	…	…	…	…	46,957	76,400	4,994,090	8,122,000
1975	…	…	…	…	2,080	2,700	776,441	1,009,000
1976	…	…	…	…	2,128	2,400	363,062	410,000
1977 (to end November)				…	5,225	5,200	1,611,727	1,612,000

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to remedy the shortage of chiropodists in the National Health Service.

I accept the importance of increasing the supply of registered chiropodists to the National Health Service, recognising chiropody services as an area of priority for development even within present resource constraints. We are making progress. This autumn sees the first output of qualified chiropodists from the new chiropody school in Durham and the first intake of a new school in Huddersfield. A firm proposal to open a new school in the South-West of England is under active consideration, and similar initiatives elsewhere are at a preliminary stage. In addition, the Department recently issued advice to assist NHS authorities to improve and develop their chiropody services.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to amend the conditions of service for National Health Service chiropodists to remedy the anomaly that full-time workers can earn substantially less than part-time chiropodists for an equal number of hours.

The remuneration and terms and conditions of service for chiropodists in the National Health Service, whether as employees or independent contractors, are matters for the

Following is the information. Expenditure has been revalued to November 1977 prices since this is the latest information available.Professional and Technical A Whitley Council. I understand that the Council is committed to a review of the basis of payment of contractual fees when a suitable opportunity occurs, to ensure, among other things, that they compare fairly with the rate of remuneration of full-time employees.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any evidence that the implementation of the recommendations of the Halsbury Committee of Inquiry has encouraged more chiropodists to seek full- or part-time work for the National Health Service, particularly among those newly qualified.

Between 1973, the year preceding the Halsbury inquiry and 1976, the year following the implementation of its main recommendations, the number of State-registered chiropodists in the United Kingdom rose by only 1·4 per cent. from 4,809 to 4,976. But over the same period the number of full-time chiropodists employed in the NHS in England rose by 45 per cent. from 714 to 1,038 and the total number of whole-time equivalent NHS chiropodists in England rose by 21 per cent. from 1,382 to 1,675. It may reasonably be assumed that much of the increase is attributable to higher numbers of newly qualified practitioners entering the National Health Service than in the past.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give the actual or estimated costs to the National Health Service for all additional expenditure arising from the firemen's strike, itemising such costs as extra and overtime pay for staffs involved in additional fire watching.

This information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the status of those persons now disabled who may have received their disability through thalidomide or related drugs, but who are not yet recognised as such by the Distillers Company.

The question of compensation for people whose disabilities may have been caused by thalidomide is not one in which my Department has any formal standing. My hon. Friend the Minister with special responsibility for the Disabled has, however, discussed the situation with the Chairman of Distillers Co. Ltd, and is ready to give any help that is appropriate and practicable.Disabled people, whatever the cause of their disability, are eligible for a wide range of health and personal social services and cash benefits.

Specialty						Beds provided in 1977	Beds indicated by population (DHSS norms)	Planned bed provision for 1982
Acute	…	…	…	…	…	240	350	340
Obstetrics	…	…	…	…	…	94	70	75
Special care babies			…	…	…	22	23	20
Geriatrics	…	…	…	…	…	220	290	236
Aged mentally infirm			…	…	…	—	100	—
Mental illness		…	…	…	…	30	90	120
Mental handicap		…	…	…	…	48	119	60
GP pre-convalescent etc.			…	…	…	146	—	68
						830	1,042	919

Of the current bed provision up to eight beds may currently be made available for the use of private patients.The proposals set out in the Norfolk Area Health Authority's consultative document are not my proposals but are those of the King's Lynn District Management Team, as adopted by the Area Health Authority for consultation under the formal consultation procedures set out in Circular HSC(IS)207. I understand that of the 146 beds categorised in the document as "General Practitioner,

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a list showing the number of private beds available, the number of DHSS beds available, the number of beds indicated by population (DHSS norms) and the planned bed provision for 1982 for the hospital service in the King's Lynn district showing the provision for the following categories: acute, obstetrics, special care babies, geriatrics, aged mentally infirm, mental illness, mental handicap, general practitioner and pre-convalescent;(2) why he has proposed in the consultation paper issued by the Norfolk Area Health Authority that beds provided for general practitioners in the King's Lynn district during 1977 should be reduced from 146 to 68 in the planned bed provision for 1982.

The existing and planned National Health Service bed provision for the district for 1982 has recently been published by the Norfolk Area Health Authority in its consultative document of proposals for hospital services in the King's Lynn Health District and is as follows:Pre-Convalescent etc." the number of general practitioner beds is 18. The authority has no proposals to reduce the number of general practitioner beds below the present 18. The majority of the remaining beds are pre-convalescent, and I understand that when the new hospital is commissioned most of these will not be required.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he is aware of the urgent shortage of general practitioner beds in the King's Lynn district and the particular shortage of beds for orthopaedic surgery; and if he will take steps to alleviate the problem;(2) if he is aware that certain orthopaedic conditions requiring operation have led to waiting lists of up to five years for patients suffering extreme discomfort and pain; and if he will take steps to accelerate the provision of hospital beds for general practitioner orthopaedic patients in the King's Lynn district.

I understand from the Norfolk Area Health Authority that it is aware of a need for an increase of general practitioner beds in the King's Lynn health district. It is for the Norfolk Area Health Authority to decide what priority to give to particular health service locally. At present the King's Lynn health district has a total of 40 beds for orthopaedic purposes, and when the new district general hospital comes into use the number of orthopaedic beds in the District will increase to 68.I understand that as at March 1977, the latest period for which figures are at present readily available, the number of patients awaiting admission from the orthopaedic waiting for in-patient treatment in King's Lynn District General Hospital was 212; of this number 16 patients described as non-urgent had waited more than 12 months. I understand that no urgent orthopaedic case has to wait more than one month for admission to King's Lynn Hospital.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average length of time between the decision that a patient is suitable for home dialysis and the installation of a unit in his home and if he will make a statement.

Patients require a period of special training before commencing home dialysis. The length of this period is affected by various factors, including the patient's clinical condition, his learning ability, his home circumstances and the availability of someone to assist him. The average length of time required for training is not known, but it is usually between three and six months, during which it should normally be possible to make the necessary adaptations to a patient's home, although occasionally some home adaptations take longer than this.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the expenditure by area health authorities on adaptations to patient's homes necessitated by the installation of a renal dialysis unit in the last year for which figures are available; if he is satisfied that authorities are fulfilling their duty to make such adaptations whenever home dialysis is desirable; and if he will make a statement.

Details of the total cost of home conversions are not available centrally. Individual costs vary considerably, but in 1976 the average conversion cost, excluding equipment, was estimated to be around £1,500.The establishment of as many of their patients as possible on home dialysis is one of the prime objectives of most dialysis units, and I have no evidence that health authorities are not fulfilling their responsibility to carry out home adaptations whenever these are necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of the EEC Health Ministers on 13th December;(2) what machinery exists for ensuring that future EEC Health Ministers' meetings discuss matters on which a distinctively EEC policy could be relevant and useful;(3) what consultations outside Government circles he had concerning the agenda for the EEC Health Ministers' meeting on 13th December.

I represented the United Kingdom at this meeting, which was the first of its kind. This was not the normal type of meeting of the Council in which decisions are sought on proposals made by the Commission, but an opportunity for Health Ministers to discuss general problems of current interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many cases of paralytic poliomyelitis were confirmed in 1977; if he will give the ages of the persons affected, the protection they had had from vaccination and the ensuing handicap in each case; and if he will make a further statement.

In 1977 there were 14 cases all among children under the age of 7 as follows:

Number	Age
2	3 months
2	6 months
1	1 year
1	15 months
1	18 months
2	2 years
2	3 years
1	4 years
1	5 years
1	6 years

None had been fully protected and 11 were unvaccinated.The degree of residual handicap in most of these cases is not yet known.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the current maximum weekly earnings before a married woman is compelled to pay national insurance contributions.

On the assumption that the hon. Member's Question relates to an employed earner, £14·99.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will extend the non-contributory invalidity pension provisions to allow married women aged over 60 years who are incapable of work to receive this incapacity benefit until such time as their husbands reach pensionable age.

We have no plans to do so. The main social security provision for women over 60 remains the retirement pension.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on his investigations into the ineligibility of a high percentage of the unemployed to any unemployment benefit and their subsequent dependence on supplementary benefits for their whole period of unemployment.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the use of glass fibre in its various forms for heat and sound insulation does not expose people installing it to any hazard to health.

The Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that considerable national and international research is in hand in and effort to establish whether glass and other forms of man-made mineral fibre present any serious risk to health.It is known that irritation of the skin, eyes and upper respiratory tract can occur through contact with or exposure to these materials, but these effects are normally transient, and adequate protection can be obtained by the application of normal occupational hygiene practices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what studies his Department has made of the risk that cuts in electricity supplies made without warning may cause fires in industrial installations and result in loss of lite.

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that no special studies have been undertaken. Industrial installations are subject to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and employers have the duty to ensure the health and safety of the persons employed. This includes, inter alia, making arrangements to deal with emergencies caused by the failure of power supplies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total annual expenditure on various Government sub-sidies and youth training schemes designed to reduce unemployment.

The total expenditure in 1976–77 was £172 million, and the estimated total for 1977–78 is £370 million. These totals relate to expenditure on the following schemes: temporary employment subsidy; job creation pro- gramme; job release scheme, youth employment subsidy; small firms employment subsidy; job introduction scheme for disabled people; Community Industry; work experience programme, special training courses for young people run by the Training Services Agency; special measures to maintain training opportunities with employers for young people.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average delay between (a) his Department receiving an application for temporary employment subsidy, (b) the firm being visited by an officer of his Department and (c) a decision being taken whether or not to approve the application.

The time taken to process an application depends upon the nature of the particular case and the pressure of work at the regional office dealing with it. The average time needed to clear preliminary inquiries before the visit is made is about six weeks. Decisions follow within about one week of the visit.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give details of precisely how the national average wage is computed.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis) on 9th December 1977.—[Vol. 940, c. 929–30.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give, for the longest and most convenient period of time, for the London Metropolitan Police area, the number of persons charged and found guilty of shoplifting and robbery, where those concerned were known to be other than British subjects and where these persons were visitors to Great Britain.

The information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what request he has received from the Surrey County Council for increases in the establishment of the Surrey police force: and if he will make a statement.

The Surrey Police Authority has sought my approval for increases in establishment totalling 413. These are being examined in detail, and I shall make my decision as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what charges the Post Office makes to his Department on account of communications equipment required for the purposes of home defence; and how the amounts of such charges are decided upon.

About £1·9 million annually. Normal commercial rates are charged where appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what are his criteria for granting or refusing political asylum requested by visitors to the United Kingdom from Communist countries.(2) if he takes into account the likelihood of reprisals by the secret police of their countries of origin when considering applications for political asylum made by persons from Communist countries.

The Immigration Rules provide that a passenger who does not otherwise qualify for admission should not be refused leave to enter if the only country to which he can be moved is one to which he is unwilling to go owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. I am prepared to consider also other grounds which may be advanced for permitting people to remain here exceptionally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for political asylum were received in the last year for which figures are available from visitors to the United Kingdom from Eastern European Communist countries; and how many of these were granted.

Our records show that during 1977 three Eastern European nationals were granted refugee status in the United Kingdom and 36 were allowed to enter or remain for exceptional reasons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will reverse the decision made by his Department to prevent the transmission of radio messages between Her Majesty the Queen and President Carter, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Marconi's first two-way commercial transmission between Great Britain and the United States of America; and if he will make a statement.

This issue arose out of a request to Her Majesty the Queen from the Cornish Radio Amateur Club for permission to transmit a message from Her Majesty to President Carter to commemorate the anniversary in question. This invitation was declined. One consideration was that the International Radio Regulations forbid the use of amateur stations for transmitting international communications on behalf of third parties except in emergencies. I have, however, authorised the setting up of a special amateur station in Cornwall which will form part of the celebrations commemorating the occasion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any EEC countries provide divers with special tax or other concessions in view of the special risks involved; and what is the nature of those concessions.

So far as I am aware, no EEC country provides divers with special tax concessions in view of the special risks involved in the activity of diving. I am not clear what other types of concession the hon. Member has in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek to free from taxation income derived from prizes for works of literary or artistic merit, such as the Booker Prize.

I see no reason why the tax treatment of such prizes should not be decided in accordance with the normal rules.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why an aircraft flying from Guernsey to Germany by way of Biggin Hill must land at Gatwick as well to obtain customs clearance, being charged an extra landing fee, when the same aircraft is allowed to fly from Germany to Guernsey by way of Biggin Hill alone.

An aircraft flying from Guernsey to Germany by way of Biggin Hill, is not required to land at Gatwick, or any other customs airport, for customs clearance purposes. Under the terms of the Prevention of Terrorism (Supplemental Temporary Provisions) Order 1976 (S.I., 1976, No. 465), however, an aircraft wishing to make a flight of this kind from Biggin Hill without the prior permission of the Commissioner, Metropolitan Police, would be required to make an intermediate landing at Gatwick or some other airport designated in the order.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the maximum income per week that a married woman can earn without having to pay income tax by PAYE.

£18·17, if the married woman's code reflects only the wife's earned income allowance.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were charged with customs offences along the border between County Armagh and the Republic of Ireland during 1977; and how this compared with 1976.

The numbers of people charged with customs offences in relation to the movement of goods across the boundary between Armagh and the Republic of Ireland during 1977 and 1976 were 101 and 61 respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost in a full year of taxing married couples as if they were single persons living together.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th January 1978; Vol. 941, c. 753], gave the following further reply;I regret that the information on which to base an estimate is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the burdens placed on home owners as a result of the stamp duty charged on house sales on property over £15,000 and the variations in house prices throughout the United Kingdom, he will take steps to increase the exemption limit to take account of inflation and to consider alterations in the basis of assessing the duty.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th January 1978; Vol. 941, c. 794], gave the following information:I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion, but I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many doctors from within the area of the Northern Health and Social Security Board are members of the Strategic Planning Team on the development of hospital services in that area.

The Strategic Planning Team was appointed by the Northern Health and Social Services Board and reported in June 1976. There were three medically qualified members of the team two of whom were from within the area. The Government accepted the Board's recommendations, which were based on the Team's report, in May 1977, and the Board has appointed a steering group to implement the recommendations regarding hospital services. Two medically qualified persons from within the area are included in this group, and arrangements have been made by it to consult medical interests in the area through the Area Medical Advisory Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether he will now raise the hire-purchase credit limit from £2,000 to £5,000.

Drafts of Orders in Council to that effect will soon be laid before Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will inquire into the operation of price rings in ready-mixed concrete against local authorities throughout the country, following the disclosure of this practice in the Greater Manchester area by firms from other parts of Great Britain.

This is a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading. However, I understand that, following extensive inquiries throughout the country, the Director General has placed 101 restrictive agreements concerning the supply of ready-mixed concrete on the public register of restrictive trading agreements and that he has now started proceedings in the Restrictive Practices Court against the parties concerned in these agreements.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will require firms involved in the ready-mixed concrete price rings to return to local authorities excess profits made through overcharging by such means.

I have no powers to do so. However, the Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976 provides grounds for persons affected by the operation of an unregistered restrictive agreement to institute civil proceedings for damages against the parties to it.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will inquire into the existence of price rings in building materials other than ready-mixed concrete.

The Director General of Fair Trading is responsible for investigating restrictive trading agreements. He has recently invoked his statutory powers to serve notices on nine companies, requiring them to disclose particulars of unregistered agreements in respect of certain road surfacing materials. If my hon. Friend has information about the existence of price rings in any other building materials perhaps he would send details to the Director General, who will look into them.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will refer the proposed increase in beer prices to the Price Commission for investigation.

The decision whether to investigate proposed price increases rests with the Price Commission. The Commission announced yesterday its intention to investigate certain increases proposed by Allied Breweries (UK) Ltd.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection to what extent the Price Commission and those who co-operate with it in the course of investigation of their companies under the Price Commission Act are subject to the provisions of the Official Secrets Act.

The Official Secrets Acts apply to information entrusted in confidence to any person by a public servant. On appointment, members and staff of the Price Commission are asked to sign a declaration to the effect that their attention has been drawn to the relevant provisions of the Acts. In addition the Counter-Inflation Act 1973 contains restrictions on the disclosure of information obtained by the Price Commission in the course of its work.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what action he has taken to implement paragraph 34 of the White Paper, "The Regeneration of British Industry" concerning the appointment of an official trustee when factory closures are planned in the private sector.

Further experience with assistance under the Industry Act 1972, facilitated by the requirements of notification of closures in the Employment Protection Act 1975, suggests that existing powers effectively meet the circumstances for which such an appointment was envisaged.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when the committee of inquiry set up to consider the provision of professional and technician engineers will conclude its work; and when he anticipates the committee will publish its report.

My right hon. Friend has specified no final date for the submission of the committee's report, but, as he told the House in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, North-East (Mr. Palmer) on 5th July—[Vol. 934, c. 483–4]—it is not his intention that the inquiry should be unduly prolonged.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what discussions his Department has had with other EEC countries regarding the proposed European trade-mark; and if he will make a statement.

The creation of an EEC trade-mark was proposed in a memorandum adopted by the European Economic Commission in July 1976 and published as Supplement 8/76 to the Bulletin of the European Communities. Officials from my Department have participated fully in discussions with other Community countries and with the Commission in a working group in Brussels. The problems are complex, and it is anticipated that it will be 1980–81 before it will be possible to submit proposals to the Council of Ministers.At all stages my Department seeks the advice of the Standing Advisory Committee on Trade Marks, which consists of reprsentatives of industry, trade-mark practitioners, the legal professions and consumers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is his estimate of the loss of exports in the past three years from the United Kingdom to Israel due to the Arab trade boycott.

Firms have to take many factors into account when deciding whether to pursue business opportunities in particular markets, and there is no way of isolating and estimating the effect of one element. However, whatever effect the boycott might have, it has not hampered a significant growth in the value of United Kingdom exports to Israel.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will now permit the use of Edinburgh Airport for international flights either permanently or as an experiment; and, if not, if he will give his reasons for so refusing.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th January 1978, Vol. 941, c. 786], gave the following information:International services account for a growing proportion of the traffic at Edinburgh Airport. However, in licensing long-haul charter flights by foreign airlines my Department takes into account the British Airports Authority's present policy that, in general, such flights should operate from Prestwick.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make arrangements to extend the jurisdiction of sea fisheries committees from three miles to 12 miles to take account of United Kingdom fishery territorial rights.

The committees' seawards jurisdiction extends three miles from the baselines from which the territorial sea is measured. This is also the

Pence per pint
			Milk*		Beer†
			Current money terms	Index of price deflated by the "All Items" retail price index	Current money terms	Index of price deflated by the "All Items" retail price index
1951	…	…	2·2	100	6·4	100
1960	…	…	3·2	99	6·0	64
July 1970		…	4·6	94	11·7	83
July 1975		…	6·0‡	67‡	19·5	75
January 1978		…	12·5	100	27·0	75
* The milk prices are the maximum retail prices for ordinary milk.
† The beer prices are estimated average public bar prices for ordinary bitter Source: Brewers Society.
‡ from 1972–73 to the end of 1977 the retail price of milk was subsidised. In July 1975 the subsidy was worth about 2p per pint.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why the proposed United Kingdom share of fish in Community waters has been reduced when the total catch in the EEC has been revised upwards.

This is a reflection of the unacceptable Community approach to the division of resources which is founded on the basic premise that catches should be divided in the same proportions as were provided for in the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Convention (NEAFC) in the period before 200 mile limits. Where there was no provision in NEAFC, division would be according to actual catch levels in the past. The United Kingdom made it clear that this approach does not reflect adequately losses suffered in the traditional fishing grounds of third countries or the contribution of United Kingdom resources to the total resources under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of member States.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will compare the cost of a pint of milk and of a pint of beer, at constant prices and at current prices, in 1950, 1960, 1970, 1975 and January 1978.

The information is not available for beer in the form requested. The following table gives the best comparison possible on the existing information:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to enter into bilateral negotiations with Norway in the event of failure to reach agreement on fishing at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers.

It is the Government's objective to reach agreement on the common fisheries policy in the Council of Ministers. However, my right hon. Friend has been invited by the Norwegian Minister for the Law of the Sea, Mr. Evensen, to visit Norway some time this year for informal discussions and he intends to accept that invitation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the composition by species of the EEC catch that is being sought by the fishing industry in the current talks being held in Brussels.

In the current state of negotiations in Brussels it would not be appropriate to give this information, but the United Kingdom has made it clear that we are seeking a division of resources which adequately reflect the United Kingdom's contribution to the fish resources of the Community and our losses in the waters of third countries.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will seek to dissuade the EEC Council of Ministers from placing reliance on the system of quotas when renegotiating the common fisheries policy.

In the past quotas have not been observed, but quotas properly enforced do have a rôle to play in the overall management of fisheries resources as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland said in the House on 28th November 1977.—[Vol. 940, c. 193.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the consequence to the United Kingdom fishing industry of the EEC's Commision's latest catch quota proposal for 1978 of 529,000 tonnes, as opposed to 540,000 tonnes.

The Government have already made clear that the Commission proposals are unacceptable. Hence no such estimate has been made.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of the EEC total catch and what percentage of the allocated EEC catch has been allocated to the United Kingdom in the latest Commission proposal.

The Commission proposals for 1978 produced in October 1977 comprise a total available catch (TAC) of 3,665,000 tonnes, of which the United Kingdom quota forms some 15 per cent. and an EEC quota of 2,282,000 tonnes of which the United Kingdom quota forms some 19 per cent.