asked the Lord President of the Council whether he intends to ask the Top Salaries Review Board to reconsider Members' salaries.

The form and timing of any further review will have to de determined in the light of the developing situation on counter-inflation policy, and of the views expressed by hon. Members when we come to debate the question of salaries in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the salary and expenses of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission, the actual or estimated number of hours worked for the longest and most convenient stated period of time, the number of meetings held by the Commission and the recorded attendances at such meetings; and how long the meetings were in session.

The salaries of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission are £10,808 per annum and £7,521 per annum respectively, and expenses necessarily incurred on the Commission's business are reimbursed. Both posts are full-time. The conduct of the Commission's day to day business is a matter for the Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will cause an investigation to be made into the two-day fire at the Canning Town Flour Mill of Rank Hovis McDougall during the Christmas period; how many troops were involved in fighting this fire; what is the estimated loss: and why after two days the fire was not brought under control.

I have inquired into the circumstances surrounding this fire. I understand that the spread of fire had been controlled six hours after the call was received and that subsequently no further fire-fighting assistance was requested, apart from normal reliefs. Some 500 Service men, including reliefs, were involved over a period of four days. The building was one of a complex of similar buildings, and fire-fighting was directed to containing the fire to the building of origin and preventing its spread to closely adjacent property. Fire Service officers who attended considered that the Service men did all that was possible in the circumstances. Although the spread of the fire had been controlled after six hours, in a high-risk area of this type it is necessary to maintain a fire-fighting presence for some time afterwards as a precautionary measure. I regret that I am unable to provide an estimate of the cost of the fire damage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, in view of the Government's agreed policy with the TUC of the return to collective bargaining, he has taken action to prevent a free collective bargaining settlement of the firemen's dispute.

As I made clear in my statement to the House on 8th December 1977—[Vol. 940, c. 1651–2]—because of the need to reduce inflation, the Government could not agree to an increase in the year beginning 7th November 1977 beyond 10 per cent. En the negotiations which have taken place in the National Joint Council, the Employers' Side has negotiated within the terms of Government pay policy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what statutory authority he has given an unqualified assurance that firemen's wages and conditions will be improved in the years ahead of the Government's normal term in office; and whether he will make a statement.

As my hon. Friend will be aware, the Government are not operating a statutory incomes policy. The Government have given their word that the full implementation of the formula agreed by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades, by two approximately equal stages in November 1978 and November 1979, would not be thwarted by some unforeseen adverse change in economic circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will appoint a committee of investigation to ascertain the ways and means of saving money by the BBC before agreeing to any further increase in the BBC television licence fees.

No. The BBC's finances were examined by the Committee on the Future of Broadcasting and I do not consider that a further investigation is required at this time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police have been engaged in protecting the offices and persons connected with the Palestine Liberation Organisation in Great Britain; to what extent this organisation has been granted special or diplomatic privilege and on what grounds; and what has been the cost to the British taxpayer for the longest period of time since these arrangements have been in being.

Arrangements for police protection for individuals and premises are operational matters for chief officers of police, and it is not the practice to disclose details of the arrangements. The Palestine Liberation Organisation is accorded no special or diplomatic privilege.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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.

Six, as listed below:

Acts	Provisions not yet in force
Farriers (Registration) Act 1975	Section 16
Guard Dogs Act 1975	Sections 2, 3, 4, 5 (part) and 6
Public Service Vehicles (Arrest of Offenders) Act 1975	Section 1 (part)
Bail Act 1976	The whole Act except Section 13
Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1976	Sections 5 (part) and 6 (part)
Criminal Law Act 1977	Sections 14 to 30
	Section 31 (part)
	Section 32
	Sections 34 to 42
	Sections 45 to 48
	Section 58
	Sections 61 and 62
	Section 63 (part)
	Section 64
	Schedules 1 to 5
	Schedules 7 to 9
	Schedule 11 (part)
	Schedule 12 (part)
	Schedule 13 (part)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue an interim statement on the investigations he is carrying out into the effect of self-service trading methods on the shoplifting statistics.

The Home Office Research Unit is studying, in relation to theft in shops, prosecution practice, store security, and sentencing. A report is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and it is not possible to anticipate its findings. No investigation specifically into the effect of self-service methods is being conducted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement arising from his reply to the hon. Member for Gravesend on the level of grants made to Kent under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966.

I regret that the reply of 20th June 1977—[Vol. 933, c. 391–2]—to a Question by my hon. Friend which was printed in the Official Report contained figures which represented the expenditure estimated by Kent County Council as being eligible for Section 11 grant and not those for the amount of grant payable. Grant is payable at the rate of 75 per cent. of eligible expenditure. As a result the total estimated grant payable to Kent County Council under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 in 1977–78 is £47,540. This figure includes the costs of education staff. It is estimated that grant paid on such staff by district in 1977–78 and the previous year will be as follows:

	1977–78	1976–77
	£	£
Gravesham	13,835	12,172
Medway	12,225	12,358
Dartford	7,253	6,990
	33,313	31,520

Grant paid on the costs of education staff for 1975–76 and 1974–75 was as follows:

	1975–76	1974–75
	£	£
Gravesham	10,979	17,439
Medway	10,441	9,323
Dartford	5,865	5,114
	27,285	31,876

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been under the Unsolicited Goods and Services (Amendment) Act 1975 since the coming into effect of the Act; how many convictions and acquittals resulted; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted.

In the period 20th March to 31st December 1976, nine persons were prosecuted in England and Wales for offences under Section 3 of the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971, as amended by the Unsolicited Goods and Services (Amendment) Act 1975. Eight of these were convicted and one acquitted. All those convicted were fined.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what has been the percentage increase in salaries since October 1974 for Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and Under-Secretaries compared with increases given to the chairmen and board members of nationalised industries during the same period.

The percentage increase in salaries since October 1974 for Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and Under Secretaries has been as follows:

Permanent Secretary	16·5	per cent.
2nd Permanent Secretary	12·18	per cent.
Deputy Secretary	26·34	per cent.
Under-Secretary	32·62	per cent.

In the same period the chairmen and members of nationalised industry boards have received average increases of about 7 per cent. This figure takes into account the approximate value of the increases to be paid to the chairmen and members of nationalised industry boards from 1st January 1978 as announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 15th December 1977.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make a further statement on his discussions with Civil Service unions regarding the Pay Research Unit and the interim basis for future wage negotiations.

My hon. Friend will have noted the oral replies I gave today and on 21st November—[Vol. 939, c. 1089–1092]—to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service when he will publish the new list of members of public boards; when the last was published; and what are the reasons for the delay in publication of an up-to-date list.

The White Paper on Public Boards was last published as Cmnd 6803 in May 1977. It is normally brought up to date each year. I intend to publish a revised list this year.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give at the latest convenient date, without incurring disproportionate costs in time and money, information about Members of the House of Lords who are holding part-time Government employment, their salaries and expenses, how many hours were worked and whether, additionally, these persons could claim their House of Lords' attendance allowance.

As I have repeatedly made clear to my hon. Friend in previous answers and in my correspondence with him, the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available centrally. Members of the House of Lords do not receive an attendance allowance, but they may claim reimbursement of expenses within specified limits. Those eligible to make such claims may do so in respect of expenses actually and necessarily incurred in attending the House of Lords whether or not they receive remuneration from any other source.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is possible for British subjects to visit East European Communist States without a visa; and, if not, what is the average time required to obtain such a visa.

British citizens require a visa to visit all Eastern European countries except Yugoslavia. It is not possible to assess the average time required to obtain a visa since the majority of applications are made privately direct to the Eastern European embassies.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the reasons for the vote of the United Kingdom in the United Nations General Assembly on 14th December 1977 on the resolution concerning relations between Israel and South Africa which was carried by 88 in favour to 19 against.

We voted against this resolution, in company with our partners in the European Community, the USA and other countries, because we have consistently resisted attempts to condemn Israel for the continuation of normal links with South Africa. The Government of Israel have confirmed that they will observe the mandatory arms embargo against South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the reasons for the vote of the United Kingdom in the United Nations General Assembly on 14th December 1977 concerning mandatory economic sanctions against South Africa.

We voted against, together with France, West Germany, the USA and some other Western countries, because we do not agree that the far-reaching economic measures which the resolution calls for would produce the changes in South Africa which we all wish to see.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the reasons for the vote of the United Kingdom in the United Nations General Assembly Fourth Committee on the proposal for a mandatory oil embargo against South Africa to prevent oil supplies reaching Rhodesia.

The United Kingdom abstained in the Fourth Committee in the vote on the draft resolution which requested the Security Council to impose a mandatory oil embargo against South Africa, because such an embargo would not help the Anglo-US proposals for a negotiated settlement in Rhodesia.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development whether she will publish in the Official Report a list of all those countries which received aid from Her Majesty's Government, giving the amounts against each country, provided during 1976.

Full details of United Kingdom aid flows to developing countries in 1976 will be published shortly in the next edition of British Aid Statistics. I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will state the amount and type of Government bilateral aid which has been provided to Ethiopia per annum over the last three years.

Gross official bilateral aid provided to Ethiopia in the calendar years between 1974 to 1976 was as follows:

			£000's
	1974	1975	1976
Capital Aid (including Commonwealth Development Corporation loans)	945	1,219	1,191
Technical co-operation	1,113	1,630	1,140
	2,058	2,909	2,331

The final outturn figures for 1977 are not yet available, but the flow of aid was substantially less than in 1976. No new commitments of aid were entered into during 1977.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if, following the recent report by Survival International, " The Forest Indians in Stroessner's Paraguay: Survival or Extinction? " which documents the systematic extermination of the Aché people, she will withdraw all British Government aid to Paraguay.

As I said in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Derby, North (Mr. Whitehead) on 14th November—[Vol. 939, c. 23]—human rights in Paraguay as in all other areas of the world are taken seriously into account in any decision that my right hon. Friend makes in relation to expenditure from the aid programme. But, as she has also made clear to the House, the programme for Paraguay consists only of a modest technical co-operation programme which is concentrated almost exclusively on help to small cultivators and livestock farmers, and I cannot, therefore, accept that any useful purpose would be served by its abrupt withdrawal.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on concessionary fares for elderly and handicapped people.

The circular to local authorities forecast in the transport policy White Paper (Cmnd 6836) is being published tomorrow.The circular advises that in each local authority area there should be adequate arrangements for helping to meet the travel needs of elderly, blind and disabled people. In introducing a new or improved scheme, a local authority should aim to meet about half the cost of the local bus fares that would otherwise be paid in off-peak periods by the concessionaires.The circular also advises local authorities of the Government's view that all blind and disabled people should normally be entitled to appropriate travel concessions and that authorities should have particular regard to the special needs of blind and disabled people created by their handicaps.I hope that authorities will now start planning as soon as possible to introduce improved arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the transport policy programme grant to North Yorkshire for the coming financial year has been estimated on the basis of support for public transport.

North Yorkshire will be paid £4 million in transport supplementary grant in 1978–79. The grant is not hypothecated to individual items of transport expenditure. Of the total transport budget accepted for TSG purposes, 6.3 per cent. is for public transport.

asked the Secretary of State for Transort if the influence on the development of the M25 north of London, of proposed provisions for general aviation policy, is being examined by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Advice on the provision of general aviation facilities in the South-East was received from the Standing Conference for London and South East Regional Planning and the Civil Aviation Authority in March 1977 and an airports policy White Paper will be published shortly. A public inquiry into the proposed section of the M25 between Micklefield Green and South Mimms is expected to be held early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport at what locations in England courses are run by his Department to qualify garage mechanics to perform the Ministry of Transport tests; and what is the current delay in each between an application being received and a place being allocated.

Courses are held at 50 of the Department's heavy goods vehicle testing stations in England. The delay between an application being received and the mechanic attending a course varies from three to eight weeks.I regret that the detailed information asked for is not immediately available but I shall be writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department is opposed on principle to pedestrian crossings in areas subject to (a) 50 m.p.h. and (b) 40 m.p.h. speed limits.

No. Pedestrian crossings are installed on all types of road except motorways, whatever the speed limit; but where the limit exceeds 40 m.p.h. zebra crossings are rarely suitable and pelicans are preferred.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what amount, calculated on rate poundage, was given by each local authority in England in support of public transport.

I refer my hon. Friend to column 19 of " Return of Rates " for 1976–77, published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether, in the light of his answer of 14th November in connection with the work of the road construction units, he will examine the possibility of closing those units with few or no road schemes under construction and transferring any necessary residual functions to his Department's regional offices or agent authorities.

No. More than three-quarters of the work of road construction units is concerned with the planning and design of new roads and the associated statutory processes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, how many representations he has received concerning the continued delays in reopening the Severn Bridge for two-lane traffic; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

Since the restrictions on the bridge were announced last January many inquiries have been received. The Department has done everything possible to keep the interested parties and public informed of progress on the repairs. Subject to favourable weather conditions it is hoped that the repair work will progress to a stage where restrictions can be lifted about the end of February.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what was the differential between board members in the nationalised transport industry and chief officers in January 1974; and what is the position currently;(2) what percentage increases have been granted to board members in the nationalised transport industry since January 1974; and how this compares with increases for the staff during the same period.

On 1st January 1974, full-time members of nationalised transport boards received an interim increase of £350 a year; threshold supple- ments began to be paid then from 1st June 1974 and were fixed from 1st December 1974, at £229·68 a year, and on 1st January 1977 they received round 2 increases of £208·80 a year. Part-time members on salaries related to notional full-time salaries received the due proportions of these increases. Other part-time members received no increases over this period. The percentage increases announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 17th December 1977 have yet to be determined.For information about the remuneration of the staff of these boards I refer my hon. Friend to the boards concerned. It is not available in my Department, so I cannot comment on differentials.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest estimate of the cost of the proposed M54-Telford-M6 link.

About £45 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the take-up rate in the electricity discount scheme in 1976–77, and so far in 1977–78; how much was spent on advertising and publicising the scheme in 1976–77; and what is planned for in respect of 1977–78.

Some 1·6 million people received the discount in 1977—nearly 70 per cent. of those estimated to be able to claim. Publicity for the 1977 scheme cost just under £100,000. A provision of £250,000 has been made for 1978 to cover more frequent Press advertising and wider distribution of the explanatory literatureWe expect a higher take-up this year, but the scheme has only just started and no figures will be available for at least a month.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the forecast energy demand in the United Kingdom in 1988, or the nearest year for which statistics are available; and what supplies are required from each of the following sources: oil, gas, coal and nuclear, to meet this requirement.

The Working Document on Energy Policy, Energy Commission Paper No. 1, a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library, contains estimates of United Kingdom primary fuel demand for 1985, which, on the assumptions specified, lie in the range 390–415 mtce. Equivalent figures for 1990, the nearest year to 1988 considered, are 405–455 mtce. These demands might be met as follows:

	mtce
Coal	135–145
Oil	160–190
Nuclear/hydro	30
Gas	80–90

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the forecast annual growth rate in electrical energy demand in the United Kingdom during the period 1978 to 1983 and 1983 to 1988.

Energy forecasts for the United Kingdom as a whole, prepared by the Department, were quoted in Energy Commission Paper 1, a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library. In the reference case, for the two five-year periods closest to those in the question, the average rate of growth of electricity sales is estimated to be: 1980 to 1985, 3 per cent. per annum; 1985 to 1990, 2·9 per cent. per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether marine life is causing a serious problem for offshore oil and natural gas platforms; what degree of risk is involved; what steps are being taken to cope with the growth of marine life; and what is the likely impact on the number of divers required.

Marine life, in the form that attaches itself to offshore oil and gas platforms, is a problem in varying degrees for the following reasons:(1) Marine life that grows on offshore installations increases the fluid loading on the structure and therefore have to be kept within given limits, which vary according to the design parameters, to prevent possible over stressing of the structure.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the reason for the delay in confirming the fifth round oil licences since their conditional awards on 9th February 1977; if the delay is holding up North Sea oil production; and if he will make a statement.

There are important matters at stake here. The licences will last for 37 years and in that context it is entirely appropriate to spend now whatever time may be necessary to get things right. A few months' delay in the grant of licences will not affect oil production, as it will be several years before we can expect any production from fifth round licences. I am satisfied there has been no undue delay, and, as the hon. Member will know, some awards have already been confirmed.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether the North Sea programme involved in developing fields has been delayed due to the shortage of divers.

The oil companies concerned have not reported any shortage of divers to the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will instruct the Energy Commission and all official bodies concerned with energy policy and statistics to express quantities of energy in a common denominator, either million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe) or million tonnes of coal equivalent (mtce), and cease the inconsistent and indiscriminate use of those two indices.

The units employed for presenting total energy statistics—where different fuels have to be added together—depend mainly on tradition and thus the familiarity of the user, but conversion is not always easy and involves many statistical problems. The dominant fuel in the energy economy is usually chosen, i.e., historically for the United Kingdom, coal equivalent. However, the importance of oil in the international scene has caused many other countries and international organisations, including the EEC, to adopt an oil equivalent unit and this is generally used in international statistics. In the light of the above, we cannot undertake to instruct the Energy Commission or other official bodies always to adopt a single unit of measurement but we will seek to ensure that full regard is paid to the need for consistency and that the units adopted are always clearly shown. It is the present practice of the Department to publish energy balances in both sets of units. My hon. Friend will wish to know that with effect from May 1978 Department of Energy coal and coal equivalent statistics will be metricated: units of statute tons will be replaced by units of metric tons—or tonnes—smaller than tons by 1·6 per cent. The change of units will be well publicised.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give details of the national research programme for the development of low-cost energy from coal; and if he will make a statement on the present kind of co-operation that is taking place between the United Kingdom and other countries on such research.

The annual report of the National Coal Board and the Department of Energy's annual report on research and development provide a useful account of the effort devoted nationally to improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of coal-using processes.The Working Party on Research and Development under the Coal Industry Tripartite Group, which I chair, is studying a number of proposals made by the National Coal Board and the British Gas Corporation for the development of coal conversion technologies which will be needed to secure our future energy supplies in the long term. Details are given in the Department of Energy Press Notice dated 19th October 1977. I am sending a copy to my hon. Friend.In the field of international co-operation, the Government are supporting National Coal Board and British Gas Corporation participation in the coal research programme of the International Energy Agency, and the NCB plays a major role in the coal research programme of the European Coal and Steel Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement following the Minister of State's meeting with the oil companies aimed at persuading them to order their new generation of North Sea emergency and fire-fighting ships from British, rather than foreign yards.

The meeting in Aberdeen on 10th January was part of the Government's continuing discussions with the offshore operators on their plans to ensure adequate safety measures for dealing with fire, blow-outs or other offshore emergencies. This is our first priority. But the Government wish as much as possible of the work involved in meeting these requirements to be placed in British shipyards, which, as is well known, are facing severe and in some respects unfair competition from the Far East.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how large total final energy consumption in the United Kingdom is; how much is accounted for by each of the following (a) oil, (b) gas, (c) electricity, (d) solid fuel, and (e) others,

UNITED KINGDOM TOTAL FINAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION (HEAT SUPPLIED BASIS)
			Billion therms			Percentage shares
			1976 (actual)	1985 (forecast)	2000 (forecast)	1976	1985	2000
Oil	…	…	26·2	26·9	26·5	45·8	42·2	34·3
Gas	…	…	13·8	18·4	18·4	24·1	28·9	23·9
Electricity	…	…	7·4	9·8	15·8	12·8	15·4	20·5
Solid fuel	…	…	9·9	8·6	16·4	17·3	13·5	21·3
TOTAL	…	…	57·3	63·7	77·1	100·0	100·0	100·0

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the latest self sufficiency ratio in beef; and how this compares with the previous two years.

As indicated in Table 14 of the White Paper " Annual Review of Agriculture 1978 (Cmnd. 7058), production of beef and veal as a percentage of total new supply was as follows:

1975	1976	1977 (forecast)
92 per cent.	89 per cent.	84 per cent.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food what is his

				1975		1976		1977
				Beef	Veal	Beef	Veal	Beef	Veal
January-March	…	…	…	24·9	0·7	18·8	0·6	36·6	0·9
April-June	…	…	…	21·2	0·8	21·4	0·7	29·9	0·8
July-September	…	…	…	25·2	0·8	25·4	0·8	33·7	1·1
October-December	…	…	…	27·5	0·8	41·4	0·8	Not yet available

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken during the past month to safeguard the position of beef producers in when expressed in common units and as percentage shares; and what are the estimates on the same basis for 1985 and 2000, respectively.

The figures for 1976 are published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 1977. These are summarised below along with the " Reference Case " forecasts for 1985 and 2000, as published in Energy Commission Paper No. 1 " Working Document on Energy Policy ". These forecasts represent one of a wide range of possible futures examined by my Department and are subject to a considerable degree of uncertainty.estimate of the level of beef production in Great Britain in 1977; and how this compares with 1976 and 1975.

Production of beef and veal in Great Britain in the years requested, with United Kingdom figures in brackets, are set out below:

	Thousand	Tonnes
1975	1,085·0	(1,218·5)
1976	967·4	(1,068·9)
1977 (provisional)	894·2	(1,019·0)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table showing the quarterly volume of imports into the United Kingdom of fresh and chilled beef and of veal, for each quarter of 1975, 1976 and 1977.

As follows:the United Kingdom because of unfair competition arising from the green pound.

The Government obtained Community agreement to reintroduce the grade of steers M as a category eligible for intervention in Great Britain from 1st December 1977. The support levels for beef have also been strengthened by the 4 per cent. rise in the intervention price from 1st January 1978 as a result of the completion of our transition to common EEC price levels. Meanwhile, producers of certified cattle have been receiving average returns which have been increasing each week by virtue of the rising scale of target prices. Returns are now 7 per cent. higher than in the middle of January last year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the latest estimated figures for the subsidy on imported beef, in terms of pence per kilo dead weight, for imports from the Republic of Ireland and from West Germany, respectively.

In the week commencing 9th January 1978, the net monetary compensatory amounts payable on United Kingdom imports of fresh and chilled beef carcases, from the Irish Republic and West Germany, were 29·33p per kg deadweight and 47·22p per kg deadweight respectively.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the excess per kilo of monetary compensation amounts over and above that necessary to achieve parity of support in relation to beef production between the Republic of Ireland and in the United Kingdom.

							Cif Value of United Kingdom Imports £'000
						Pork	Bacon and Ham	Canned
1972	…	…	…	…	…	14,290	138,046	48,916
1973	…	…	…	…	…	8,313	189,627	77,048
1974	…	…	…	…	…	3,791	200,833	83,167
1975	…	…	…	…	…	11,669	220,102	91,716
1976	…	…	…	…	…	9,250	227,776	113,209
1977 (January to November)				…	…	9,622	253,331	109,493

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what should have been the growth in the dairy herd between June 1974 and June 1977 to meet the targets set in Food from Our Own Resources "; what was the actual change over this period; and if he is satisfied with the Government's record in this matter

The difference between the United Kingdom and Irish Republic representative rates leads to a difference between the common beef intervention price in each country as expressed in sterling. The net monetary compensation amounts applied to Anglo-Irish trade in beef and live cattle are calculated to reflect this difference in the two intervention prices and are not intended to equalise beef support levels as between the two countries.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest level of import subsidy on Irish live cattle imported into the United Kingdom per kilo live weight.

In the week commencing 9th January 1978 the net monetary compensatory amount payable on United Kingdom imports of live cattle from the Irish Republic was 15·44p per kg deadweight.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the cost of imports of pigmeat for each year since 1972.

The following is the information in respect of the most significent categories of pigmeat imported into the United Kingdom:

The White Paper "Food from Our Own Resources" did not set targets for individual commodities, and made no prediction about the size of the dairy herd, which is only one of the factors affecting production. In June 1974 the United Kingdom dairy herd was 3,393,000 cows: the provisional census figure for June 1977 is 3,265,000 cows. Milk production did, however, increase by nearly 9 per cent. over this period. I consider this to be satisfactory.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the level of subsidy per tonne on bacon imported from the European Economic Community countries to the United Kingdom.

The current levels of monetary compensatory amounts payable on bacon sides imported from the main overseas supplies of the United Kingdom market are set out below. The amounts for the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland take into account the payment or charge of their respective monetary compensatory amounts.

• Denmark—£256 per tonne
• Ireland—£214 per tonne
• Netherlands—£271 per tonne.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to protect the Southwestern lamb producers in view of the action of the French Government over lamb imports; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have sent a memorandum to the EEC Commission asking that they take action under the EEC Treaty with a view to ending discrimination against United Kingdom lamb exports to France. Our producers continue to have the assurance provided by the guaranteed price in a

			'000 tonnes (landed weight)
	17th–29th September	30th September–31st October	1st November–1st December	2nd–29th December
United Kingdom catches (including transhipments)	12	16	25	15
Disposals for human consumption (including transhipments)	8	8	18	10
Disposals for fishmeal manufacture (including transhipments)	3	7	7	5

Figures for transhipments are not available on the above basis, but it is estimated that in the period 17th September to 29th December some 23,000 tonnes of mackerel were transhipped by United Kingdom fishing vessels, almost all for human consumption.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the rise in the value of the pound market where our production meets less Bacon than 60 per cent. of our requirements.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied with the present trend of the total herd of breeding sows in the United Kingdom; and, if not, what action he intends to take.

We are very much aware of the fall in the breeding herd. This is one of the factors to which my right hon. Friend has drawn particular attention in his disussions in Brussels of the case for a change in the way monetary compensatory amounts for pigmeat are calculated.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, since the commencement of licensing regulations for mackerel fishing, what have been (a) the total monthly catches of mackerel, (b) the total monthly mackerel sales for United Kingdom human consumption, (c) the total monthly catches not landed, but transhipped to other vessels at sea and (d) the total monthly catches sold for fishmeal in the United Kingdom.

The figures for United Kingdom catches and disposals of mackerel since the introduction of licensing controls on 17th September 1977 were as follows:sterling

No. The green pound itself is not affected by exchange market fluctuations. Nor does an appreciation of sterling against the dollar affect the calculation of sterling monetary compensatory amounts, as the market exchange rates used for this purpose are those for sterling against the currencies in the European joint float.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what allowances are available to North Sea divers who are conducting a business on their own account.

Divers who are treated as self-employed for tax purposes are entitled to a deduction for expenses they incur wholly and exclusively for the purpose of their trade.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much of the exemption limit of £5,000 compensation for loss of office would have to be increased to give the same current purchasing power as the £5,000 had in 1960 when the exemption limit was last altered.

By £14,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the disallowance of interest on loans over £25,000 would have to be increased to give the same current purchasing power as compared with 1974 when the limit was fixed.

The limit would have to be increased by £16,200.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with regard to the returns of interest over £15 by banks and others, by how much the £15 limit would have to be increased to give the same current purchasing power compared with the date the £15 was fixed.

£57.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the value of the £ sterling has fallen since 1952 to the latest date for which figures are available.

The internal purchasing power of the pound fell by 78 per cent. between 1952 and November 1977. the latest date for which information is available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions in 1977 a Treasury Minister attended a Council of Ministers meeting in the EEC; and on how many occasions an oral statement was made by a Treasury Minister in the House of Commons after such meetings.

In 1977 Treasury Ministers attended eight meetings of the Finance Council, one meeting of the Fiscal Council, two meetings of the Budget Council and three meetings of the Joint Foreign/Finance Council. Written statements were made to Parliament after two meetings of the Finance Council, the two Budget Councils and one of the Joint Council meetings; an oral statement was made by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, after another of the Joint Council meetings.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the benefits at present available to Bank of England staff for cheap loans for private education, housing or any other use;(2) when the negotiations between the Bank of England and its staff organisation on staff benefits began.(3) what cuts in staff benefits the Bank of England is proposing to its staff organisation.

As the Government's reply to the Seventh Report of the Select Committee on Nationalised Industries states, the terms and conditions of service of the staff of the Bank are determined by the Court of Directors under section 3 of the Bank of England Charter 1946, and my right hon. Friend is therefore not concerned in their negotiations with the staff organisation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now make a statement on the future application of the Land Fund and about his general policy regarding the purchase of properties and chattels of importance to the nation.

Government policy continues to be to use the National Loan Fund wherever possible and appropriate, alongside the other instruments available for the preservation of the heritage, to help to acquire properties and chattels of importance to the nation. In the current year, for example, over £3 million is expected to be spent and acquisitions made so far include the Blenheim archives and Cragside House, grounds and chattels.The Government will in due course be considering the report of the Environment Sub-Committee of the Expenditure Committee, which has been examining the National Land Fund.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total number of permanent staff in post at the Customs and Excise for each year since 1945 and for the latest available date.

The total number of staff employed by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise on 31st March in each year since 1945 was as follows:

1945	9,634
1946	10,865
1947	12,843
1948	13,291
1949	14,197
1950	14,236
1951	14,620
1952	14,803
1953	14,892
1954	15,013
1955	14,932
1956	15,060
1957	15,183
1958	15,191
1959	15,213
1960	15,338
1961	15,556
1962	15,710
1963	15,794
1964	15,805
1965	16,148
1966	16,788
1967	17,576
1968	18,004
1969	17,790
1970	17,850
1971	17,949
1972	18,607
1973	23,464
1974	25,047
1975	28,598
1976	29,551
1977	29,389
At 1st December 1977 the figure was 29,100.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the trade rights given to the United States of America, West Germany, Japan, France and Italy in calculating the effective exchange rate for sterling; to what extent this takes account of tariff changes consequent on British entry into the EEC; and what would be the effective rate between October 1976 and the present if trade in 1976 was used as a weight.

The weights used in calculating the effective exchange rate for sterling are derived from the IMF's Multilateral Exchange Rate Model (MERM). This model uses trade flow data up to 1972 to estimate the effects of exchange rate changes on the prices of imports and exports and the resulting effects on the trade flows between countries. The weights derived from the model thus differ from ones based simply on countries' shares of United Kingdom or world trade. The weights given to the countries requested are as follows:

USA	0·3277
West Germany	0·1314
Japan	0·1150
France	0·1160
Italy	0·0566

They do not take account of the effect of tariff changes consequent on British entry into the EEC.Calculations using full 1975 trade weights—the latest which are available—show that an effective index on that basis would have increased by 6·3 per cent. between October 1976 and December 1977, compared with an increase of 7·8 per cent. in the effective index using MERM weights. The country coverage for the trade weights is, however, smaller than that for the MERM weights and this, as well as the different weights given to the countries included, influences the result.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the advantages of, and arguments for, changing the basis of valuation of the gold portion of the official reserves of the United Kingdom at an appropriate market price for the metal, rather than the old dollar exchange price.

The Government have under review the appropriate method of valuing the gold content of the United Kingdom's official reserves. In reaching a decision on the matter the Government will take account of the second amendment to the IMF's Articles of Agreement which, if ratified, will in effect abolish the official price of gold.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the increase in United Kingdom export prices for manufactures in dollar terms between October 1976 and December 1977, how this compares with the corresponding figures for

MANUFACTURED EXPORT PRICES IN DOLLAR TERMS (1970=100)
	1976	1977				Percentage change, 1977 4th quarter on 1976 4th quarter
	4th quarter	1st quarter	2nd quarter	3rd quarter	4th quarter
United States of America	175	175	176	181	184	5
Japan	190	197	201	203	212	12
Federal Republic of Germany	206	208	210	215	223	8
France	198	205	205	209	212	7
Italy	179	191	196	198	201	13
United Kingdom	176	192	197	204	219	24 (30)*
* The figure in brackets is calculated using the opening exchange rate on 13th January £1 = $1·9355).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the number of civil servants, by grade, employed in the Superannuation Fund Office of the Inland Revenue.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the latest commuter fare increases, what would be the annual cost of providing tax relief on commuter rail reason tickets costing more than (a) £200 per annum, and (b) £300 per annum at the basic tax rate.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

Comparable information for other countries is available only on a quarterly basis and is published quarterly in "UN Monthly Bulletin of Statistics". The most recent information appeared in the December edition. The following table, which sets out the comparison requested, includes Treasury estimates where data are not yet available:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent, and in which areas of expenditure, the social wage will fall in real terms in the current and each succeeding year until 1980 as a result of public expenditure cuts announced in the last two years.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the total payments by the United Kingdom to EEC funds since 1st January 1973 to 31st December 1977 showing the body to which the payments were made and including payments to the European Investment Bank and the European Coal and Steel Community and also showing the amounts the United Kingdom has received from these bodies in the same period in loans and in grants, showing the repayment periods of loans and the rate of their interest payable and the total repayable in repayments and in interest charges over the period, all sums to be shown in £ sterling.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the amount of national debt for each of the years 1974, 1975 and 1976.

The information asked for at 31st March in each year is

	Allowance	Year of last increase	Equivalent value at November 1977 prices of allowance at last increase
	£		£
Dependent Relative
Maintained by single woman	145	1967–68	423
Others	100	1960–61	366

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would the cost be to public funds of increasing the dependent relative allowance to £200 or £300.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th January 1978; Vol. 941, c. 793], gave the following information:About £20 million and £40 million respectively.

asked the Secretary for Prices and Consumer Protection 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 Prices and Consumer Protection what discussions he has had with the British Standards Institution and the International Standards Organisation as follows: 1974, £40,124,527,285; 1975, £45,925,487,119; 1976, £56,571,585,311.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the current level of the dependent relative allowance, adjusted to take account of the increase in the retail price index from the date it was set at the present level.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th January 1978; Vol. 941, c. 793], gave the following information:Ignoring the small increase made in 1973–74 when the income tax was unified, the figures are as follows:to ensure an adequate standard of reliability and quality of Christmas fairy lights; and whether he is satisfied that imported lights are marked with an adequate indication of country of origin.

My Department is represented on the Committee of the British Standards Institution (BSI) dealing with British Standard 4647 for Christmas fairy lights, where our main concern is the safety of equipment under Consumer Protection Act regulations. There has been no occasion to make departmental representations to the BSI about the quality and reliability of these products. I have no reason to be dissatisfied with country of origin markings on imported lights, where these are required under the Trade Descriptions Act 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what was the retail price index on 1st January 1978 compared with that on 1st August 1976.

The retail price index, which reflects prices at approximately the middle of the month, stood at 158·5 in August 1976. In November 1977, which is the latest available figure, the index stood at 187·4. This represents an increase of 18·2 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will list in the Official Report the names and occupations of the mem

Name	Occupation	Date of appointment	Expiry of present appointment
Professor D. Wiggins (Chairman)	Professor of philosophy	1st November 1976	31st July 1979
Councillor Mrs. A. Ashworth	Housewife	30th September 1976	31st July 1978
Mr. D. Bowtell	Lecturer	30th September 1976	31st July 1978
Mr. R. H. Brown	Printing manager	30th September 1976	31st July 1978
Mr. J. C. Catley	Farmer	30th September 1976	31st July 1978
Mrs. S. Rowland	Housewife	30th September 1976	31st July 1978
Mr. D. H. Silvester	Quantity surveyor	1st August 1970	31st July 1978
Mr. E. Thatcher	Engineer	30th September 1976	31st July 1978
Mr. E. G. Allen	Retired	30th September 1973	31st July 1978
Mr. W. Burnett	Director of SE England Tourist Board.	1st August 1971	31st July 1979
Mr. E. G. Feben	Secretary Sandown/Shanklin Golf Club.	1st August 1963	31st July 1979
Mr. N. Goulder	Coordinater of Land Development for Hampshire County Council.	30th September 1976	31st July 1979
Mrs. J. Harris	Housewife	1st August 1973	31st July 1979
Mrs. D. Rhodes	Housewife	1st August 1973	31st July 1979
Mr. C.H. Smith	Quantity surveyor	1st August 1971	31st July 1979
Miss M. Denby	Lecturer	1st August 1975	31st July 1980
Members are appointed in a personal capacity and not as representatives of particular organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he plans to introduce legislation this Session to amend the Fair Trading Act 1973; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that parliamentary time will not be available for such legislation in this Session. I hope, however, to be in a position to introduce legislation in the 1978–79 Session.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will make representations to the Government of the Republic of Ireland to take action to prevent infringement of the Unsolicited Goods and Services (Amendment) Act 1975 by persons or firms operating from the Republic of Ireland.

My Department is in touch with the Irish Department of

The information is as follows:Industry, Commerce and Energy about this question. The Republic of Ireland does not at present have legislation comparable to the United Kingdom unsolicited goods and services legislation. I understand however that such legislation is proposed and that the Irish Government hope to introduce a Bill in the next session of the Dail.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will make representations in the Council of Ministers of the EEC for EEC member States to provide similar legislation to check the abuses prohibited by the Unsolicited Goods and Services (Amendment) Act 1975.

I shall certainly continue to bear in mind the possibility of raising this matter in the EEC. At present problems arise mainly from documents emanating from the Republic of Ireland, but I recognise that documents from other countries—both inside and outside the EEC—have caused difficulties and may do so in the future.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average remuneration paid to North Sea divers for the most recent year for which figures are available; and whether any tax or other concessions are permitted bearing in mind the risks involved and the relatively short careers afforded to divers working at considerable depths.

North Sea divers are not separately identified in my Department's surveys, so I regret that information on their average earnings is not available. The second part of the Question is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Social Services.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many North Sea divers have been operating in the north North Sea for each of the past four years.

I have been asked to reply.A register of divers employed in the North Sea is not kept and the numbers vary considerably with the season.It is estimated that at peak periods during 1977 the total number of divers employed in the North Sea were in excess of 1,500, of which an estimated 1,000 were employed in the British sector.Estimates for divers operating at peak periods in the British sector for 1976 were 1,000; for 1975 800; and for 1974 500.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the total paid in temporary employment subsidy over the last year; and how many jobs this has saved.

I regret that it is not possible to give precise information in the form requested. During 1977 the number of jobs supported by TES has increased by 197,693 at an estimated gross cost of £184 millions—assuming that payment is made for the maximum period in each case.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the percentage drop in salary which would be suffered by each of the following, if they transferred their expertise from public service or industry into university teaching and were paid average remuneration (a) electronics engineers aged 30 and 40 years, respectively, (b) computer systems analysts in industry aged 30 and 40 years, respectively, (c) scientific civil servants aged 30 and 40 years, respectively, (d) industrial economists aged 30 and 40 years, respectively, and (e) a senior clinical psychologist aged 30 years and a principal clinical psychologist aged 40 years.

The surveys of earnings conducted by my Department do not yield such detailed information for either the public sector, industry or university teaching.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment 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.

Of the Acts of Parliament within the resposibility of my right hon. Friend in the last three parliamentary Sessions, the following provisions have not yet been brought into force by commencement order:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he proposes to take in view of the fact that the substantial reduction in financial support given to group training schemes by the Engineering Industrial Training Board over the next four years will result in a serious reduction in vital training needs at a time when the United Kingdom is short of skilled labour.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the Engineering Industry Training Board's policy of a phased reduction of support grants for group training associations is in line with the Commission's own policy of encouraging groups to move towards an optimum level of self-support. Both the Commission and the Board regard group training as a most important training facility and their policies, which will be applied flexibly, are not expected to reduce grant support to levels which will impair that facility. The Commission's policy includes the provision of financial support for establishing new groups and for the development of existing groups.The Government have endorsed the Manpower Services Commission's recently published programme for action "Training for Skills", which proposes ways of safeguarding the future skill needs of industry. Support for training to be given under this programme will encourage the full use of group training associations.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his Department's estimate of the short- and long-term employment effects of the investment of £70 million in new technology in the sheet glass industry.

The employment effects of such an investment will depend on the extent to which the new technology in question is purely labour-saving and the extent to which it permits a level of output higher than that which would otherwise have occurred. The short-term employment effect will also depend on the amount and nature of any construction work involved in the projects towards which the investment is directed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will issue guidance to the Health and Safety Executive to make use of Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in respect of the health safety standards of acupuncturists' premises.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement upon the implementation by the Health and Safety Executive of Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 which came into force on 1st April 1975.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications for grants have been received by the Manpower Services Commission from voluntary service organisations; and how many new jobs have been created where such applications have been successful.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that just over 6,000 applications for grants under the job creation programme have been received from voluntary service organisations. Those which were successful have created approximately 39,000 temporary jobs.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average period of time taken to process an application under the job creation scheme in the Northern Region.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the average period of time taken to process an application under the job creation programme in the Northern Region is two weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will give the figures, to the latest convenient date, of the number of disabled people registered as unemployed in the Newcastle upon Tyne employment office area; and how these compare with the levels for 1974 to 1977, inclusive;(2) if he will give the figures, to the latest convenient date, of the number of people registered as unemployed under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act in the Newcastle upon Tyne employment office area; and how these compare with the levels for 1974 to 1977 inclusive.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many school leavers, to the latest convenient date, are currently registered unemployed in the Northern Region;(2) if he will list the number of school leavers, to the latest convenient date, registered unemployed in each employment office area within the Northern Region.

At December 1977 6,163 school leavers were registered as unemployed in the Northern Region. Of these, 6,068 were registered at the careers offices shown in the following table. As the boundaries of employment office and careers office areas do not coincide, information is not available for employment office areas.

Careers offices	Number of registered unemployed school leavers
Alnwick	65
Ashington	201
Barrow in Furness	48
Berwick	9
Billingham	77
Bishop Auckland	114
Blaydon	87
Blyth	93
Carlisle	193
Chester le Street	99
Consett	119
Crook	73
Darlington	163
Durham	192
Easington	233
Eston	135
Gateshead	389
Guisborough	64
Hartlepool	181
Hexham	14
Houghton le Spring	64
Hepburn	333