asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what action he intends to take about the recommendation of the Fisher Report, paragraph 2.18, that in future circulars amending or adding to the rules and directions should be given a wide circulation and should be published in "Archbold";(2) what instructions he has given about the enforcement of administrative direction No. 7 in the last five years; and what action he now intends to take concerning this direction in the light of paragraph 15.6 in the Fisher Report that under the present system it is possible for this direction to become a dead letter;(3) what measures he intends to take to ensure that officers of the Metropolitan Police are aware of the Judges' Rules, administrative directions and accompanying circulars, in the light of the general statements in the Fisher Report about their non-observance and the particular reference to administrative direction No. 7;(4) if he will publish a complete text of the Judges' Rules and administrative directions and the Home Office circulars which are relevant to them, and ensure that they are widely publicised among those responsible for criminal enforcement, in the light of the degree of ignorance about these rules, directions and circulars in the Fisher Report.

I am considering the possible reissue, in one publication, of the Judges' Rules, the administrative directions to the Police and the relevant Home Office circulars. I will draw any reissue to the attention of the editor of "Archbold". Over the past year the Commissioner has issued new force orders on the rules and directions, and I understand that he will shortly be reminding officers in the Metropolitan Police of their importance. The enforcement of force orders on these subjects is a matter for chief officers of police, and it is for the courts to decide whether answers and statements to the police have been made voluntarily and hence whether evidence is admissible. A circular to chief officers of police was issued by the Home Office in May 1976 clarifying the second paragraph of administrative direction No. 7(a), and a copy was placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate how a letter written by Ian Brady, a category A prisoner in Wormwood Scrubs, was published in a national newspaper.

Inquiries at the prison suggest that the letter was one sent to an acquaintance in the normal way. A letter which was recognised as intended for publication would be stopped, but such an intention may not always be apparent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on his decision not to deport Mr. Mohammed Iqbal to Lahore; when he arrived in this country; how long he has been an illegal immigrant; whether he has paid his fare; what were the exceptional conditions enabling him to remain in the United Kingdom; and whether every person in a similar situation will be able to claim to be treated on the same basis.

Mr. Iqbal arrived in September 1971 at his own expense and remained here illegally when he failed to leave at the end of his permitted 12-month stay. I made the decision to allow him notwithstanding to remain in view of all the circumstances and particularly his contribution to community relations. Just as this decision stemmed from the exceptional circumstances of the particular case, so will other cases fall to be judged on their individual merits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions with a view to prosecution for threatening behaviour the activity of the group known as Banderists among the British Ukrainian community.

The investigation and prosecution of alleged criminal offences in England and Wales is the responsibility of chief officers of police, in consultation as appropriate with the Director of Public Prosecutions and my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits were paid by Lord Longford to Myra Hindley and Ian Brady within the past 18 months.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis) on 24th January.—[Vol. 942, c. 497.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average number of mentally disturbed prisoners for the last year for which figures are available.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 29th November 1977 to a Question by my hon. Friend, the Member for Ormskirk (Mr. Kilroy-Silk).—[Vol. 940, c. 120.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison visits were made by Lord Longford within the past three years and whether Lord Longford has any approved status with the prison visitors' scheme.

No central record is kept of the number of visits made by an individual Member of Parliament. Lord Longford holds no appointment as a prison visitor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider establishing an inquiry into the competence of prison visitors.

No. Prison visitors are voluntary workers appointed by the Home Office to befriend inmates assigned to them by governors. Their work, which attracts neither payment nor publicity, is appreciated by both prisoners and management. I know of no reason for establishing an inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies he has made of the cost and desirability of a public defender system.

The Departmental Committee on Legal Aid in Criminal Proceedings, which reported in March 1966 (Cmnd. 2934), considered information about the public defender systems operating in parts of the United States of America and concluded that the disadvantages of such a system would, in this country, more than outweigh the advantages. No subsequent studies have been conducted by or on behalf of my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those charged with alleged offences in connection with the Grunwick dispute have not applied for legal aid.

It would not be possible. without disproportionate effort and expense, to identify those charged with offences arising out of the industrial dispute at the Grunwick factory, with a view to determining which of their number had applied for legal aid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his present estimate of the extent of television licence evasion; and what this amounts to in lost revenue.

Estimates of television licence evasion are of necessity imprecise and are subject to considerable error. The latest estimate of evasion is of the order of 1 million licences and the loss in revenue is probably about £15 million a year.A joint working party of the Home Office, Post Office and British Broadcasting Corporation on the administration of the brodacast recieving licence system is carefully reviewing these figures with a view to initiating an intensive campaign against licence evasion this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, in view of the fact that further accidents have occurred on the Bromham Bridge (A428), Bedford, when he proposes to take steps either to widen the bridge or build a bypass for the avoidance of accidents.

I hope to be able to make an announcement in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has now studied the local report which has been submitted to his Department covering the Bromham Bridge (A428), Bedford; and if he will make a statement.

The local report is being studied concurrently with the results of an investigation by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has revised his figures for the cost of (a) widening Bromham Bridge (A428) and (b) building the proposed bypass.

Current estimates are about £1 million for widening the bridge and about £2·5 million for a bypass.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport why it took nine weeks to send a short negative answer in respect of a request to consider the introduction of speed restrictions on the A1101 at Churchill Road, Wisbech.

Although my right hon. Friend could not in the event agree that the restriction should be introduced, the hon. Member's proposal was the subject of a thorough review in the light of our general policy on the application of speed limits. I am sorry that he was not told why the reply would be delayed.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reconsider his policy on charges for estuarial crossings where these form part of an integral road network.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been prosecuted in the last five years, and in the last year, for unlawfully giving driving lessons for money when not licensed to do so.

I have been asked to reply.Comparable figures for prosecutions brought in England and Wales for offences in which a person other than an approved driving instructor gave driving instructions for payment are available only from 1973 and are to be found in the publications "Offences Relating to Motor Vehicles" for 1973 to 1976. Figures for 1977 are not yet available.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if civil servants will be precluded from taking an active part in the forthcoming referenda on devolution in Wales and Scotland.

The Government are considering this matter and I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his decision to permit the demolition of a fourteenth century building, the Old Farmhouse at Netherhall Farm, near Birchington, Kent, which belongs to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and the subsequent quashing of the order in the High Court.

The effect of the High Court judgment is that the application for consent to demolish this listed building is still before me. I am now considering how best to proceed to a decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment in view of the Government's policy on promising to speed up action to improve living conditions in areas of housing stress, how soon the Salford City Council can expect to receive a decision on the Housing Action Area No. 2 (Bowker Street) Clearance Area Compulsory Purchase Orders, the public local inquiry for which was completed almost six months ago.

The inspector's report on this inquiry has been received and the decision should issue within the next month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council and new town houses have been sold by local authorities and new towns, respectively, in each of the last 10 years.

The hon. Member is referred to my answer of 26th January to his earlier Question concerning the sale of Council properties.—[Vol. 942, c. 703–4.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number of new dwellings (a) started and (b) completed in the public and private sectors, respectively, in England in 1977.

Following is the available information:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the consumption of fuel per annum within the Palace of Westminster expressed in units of electricity, therms of gas, gallons of oil or tons of solid fuel; and what reduction has been achieved since the Government's "Save-It" campaign was started.

The consumption of fuel within the Palace of Westminster for 1974–1977 was:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the progress of negotiations over the draft EEC directive on architects' services, following the debate in the House on 30th November 1977.

I have nothing to add to the statement I made to the House during the debate on 30th November. The European Council of Ministers did not discuss the draft directive on 19th December and no further date has been fixed for it to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when new provisions for the apportionment and redemption of rent charges, chief rents and ground rents on freehold houses will come into force.

The new procedures, for which provision was made in the Rent-charges Act 1977, come into force tomorrow, Wednesday, 1st February. These procedures, which are simpler and cheaper than those they replace, are explained in leaflets which can be obtained from the Department, or from the Welsh Office, or, where appropriate, from the local citizens' advice bureau, the local council or the local rent officer. The new application forms can also be obtained from those places together with notes which have been prepared to help people fill them in.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to amend the law in order to make it a criminal offence not to register a price ring with the Office of Fair Trading and to operate a price ring against the public interest, in the light of the practices of certain firms in the Manchester area, details of which have been sent to him.

I have been asked to reply.The restrictive trade practices legislation already provides for the Restrictive Practices Court to make orders restraining firms from entering into or giving effect to restrictive agreements. Breach of these orders is subject to penal proceedings for contempt of court and punishable by a fine or imprisonment. Neither I nor the Director General of Fair Trading is convinced that making failure to register restrictive agreements a criminal offence would improve the enforcement of the legislation. But I believe that there is a need to strengthen the Director General's powers to uncover unregistered agreements, and I shall be seeking to do this at the earliest opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest unemployment figures for Greater London.

At 12th January, 167,082 people were registered as unemployed in Greater London.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current position relating to the availability, training and deployment of instructors in skill-centres; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that over 1,000 instructors have been recruited over the past three years to meet the large expansion in the skillcentre network. Over 2,000 instructors, each of whom received eight weeks training in the first year of service, are now deployed in 68 skill-centres and 32 annexes, and the MSC is continuing to increase this complement in order to open further classes in the 13 new centres due to open in the next two to three years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish the timetable for the implementation of the proposals contained in "Young people at work"?

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that projects under the new youth opportunities programme will start from the beginning of April and it is expected that the programme will be in full operation by September 1978.

asked the Secretary of Sate for Employment whether he is satisfied that the youth opportunities programme is sufficiently widely cast.

The youth opportunities programme has been designed to operate flexibly, so that it is responsive to the needs of the individual and localities. Participants will be able to move from one element to another as their needs dictate. There will be a maximum of 130,000 places providing up to 230,000 opportunities a year. This doubles the provisions under the present schemes, and corresponds to the assessment of needs made by the Manpower Services Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when, in the light of the industrial relations problems demonstrated by the firemen's recent strike, he will introduce legislation to assure freedom of conscience to individual workers in a closed shop.

Current legislation gives those drawing up closed-shop agreements the opportunity to make provision for those who have conscientious objections to trade union membership. Experience has shown that flexibility of this kind is more likely to bring about satisfactory solutions to individual problems than statutory provisions which put the minority against the majority.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the operation of that branch of his Department which monitors pay settlements; what is its current staffing establishment; and what is its annual cost to public funds, including provision for salaries and administrative overheads.

Apart from the public sector, which is primarily the responsibility of the sponsoring Departments, my Department at 1st January employed 69 staff who are mainly concerned with giving advice on the application of the pay guidelines to particular negotiations and who also monitor settlements in the private sector. This involves a total cost, at an annual rate, of £809,155.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to be able to publish comparable unemployment figures for Great Britain, France, West Germany, Italy and the United States of America for the fourth quarter of 1977.

The available figures were given in reply to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Lawson) on 25th January.—[Vol. 942, c. 620.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average monthly increase in unemployment in England, Wales and Scotland, respectively, since March 1974.

During the period March 1974 to January 1978 the average monthly increases in the numbers registered as unemployed in England, Wales and Scotland were 15,793, 1,177 and 2,478 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently unemployed.

At 12th January, 1,484,687 people were registered as unemployed in Great Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he proposes any new measures to combat unemployment.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the speech I gave in the House yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people who left school in 1977 were still unemployed at the latest available date.

On 12th January, 57,424 school leavers under 18 were registered as unemployed in Great Britain. The statistics do not distinguish between the different dates of leaving school, but it is estimated that at least 7,000 were young people who left school in Scotland in December 1977 and that the majority of the remainder left school in the summer of 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of school leavers who will be seeking jobs for the first time at Easter 1978.

The current estimate is that 71,000 young people will leave school in England and Wales at Easter this year to seek employment. In Scotland, where different school-leaving regulations apply, it is estimated that about 18,000 young people who left school in December 1977 now want employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment by what date he expects to be able to offer to every young person leaving school who is unable to find a job, an opportunity guarantee of training, education or work experience.

The Government have made clear their firm intention that no summer or Easter school leavers who remain unemployed the following Easter will be without the offer of a place on the youth opportunities programme. We have undertaken to ensure that the necessary resources for the purpose are made available to the Manpower Services Commission, which is operating the programme. The Commission will ensure that enough places are provided by Easter 1979 to meet the needs of 1978 school leavers who are still unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimates are available of the average working week, working year and working life for males and females; and if he will give a breakdown in the Official Report.

The New Earnings Survey provides estimates, for April each year, of average normal basic hours and overtime hours per week separately for full-time manual and non-manual men and women in all industries. In addition, for full-time manual men and women, the Department's annual October survey in manufacturing and certain other industries provides estimates of total hours per week. Some information on annual hours estimates is provided, for certain years, by surveys of labour costs in index of production and those service industries which are included in the surveys. Working life estimates are not made by my Department.The most recent estimates published in the September and October 1977 issues of the

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from the EEC regarding job subsidies in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

The EEC Commission has written to the Government under Section 93(1) of the Treaty of Rome proposing certain changes in the TES scheme if it is extended beyond 31st March because, in its view, the scheme as it now stands is incompatible with European policy on competition. The future of the TES scheme is at present under review, along with all the other special employment measures due to close on 31st March. The Commission's proposals are being taken into account in this review. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in view of the continuing high level of structural unemployment, what consideration has been given to increasing employment opportunities by (a) early retirement, (b) expansion of youth opportunity programme, (c) extended leave for service, (d) control of overtime, (e) paid educational leave, and (f) reduction of the working week; and if he will make a statement.

Proposals on these lines are being considered along with others in the review of manpower measures at present being undertaken. A major expansion of opportunities for young people under the youth opportunities programme is already under way.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to suggest to the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service that a special team be set up on Merseyside, so that industrial disputes can be resolved faster than at present.

Yes, I will draw my hon. Friend's suggestion to the attention of the Chairman of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest figure for the number and proportion of firms employing more than 3 per cent. of disabled people as a percentage of their work force; and how many Government Departments currently meet that figure.

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that figures are available only of firms which satisfy the minimum 3 per cent. quota of registered disabled people. At 1st June 1977, 18,696 or 37 per cent. of firms satisfied the quota, as did two Government Departments.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the working of his Department's schemes for industrial training and retraining.

The Manpower Services Commission, which is responsible through the Training Services Agency for the operation of schemes for industrial training and retraining, is currently reviewing the training opportunities scheme and will be considering its future scale and balance in the light of the review. The Commission also published in December its report, "Training for Skills," which set out a programme for improving the amount and quality of training in skills needed by industry and for preventing persistent shortages in skills from building up. The Government have welcomed the general approach proposed for the programme and agreed to give it financial backing.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what further measures he will take to remedy the shortage of skilled workers in the country as a whole and the West Midlands in particular.

On 5th December my right hon. Friend announced the Government's support for the Manpower Services Commission's proposals to ensure that industry's long-term skill needs are met. He also announced additional special training measures for the year 1978–79. The West Midlands will benefit from these developments in common with the rest of the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what studies he has undertaken of the longer-term problems of structural unemployment arising from the increasing shift in manufacturing processes from being labour-intensive to being capital-intensive; and if he will make a statement.

The Unit for Manpower Studies in my Department carries out studies in post-war trends in employment and productivity and takes account of the effects of technological developments. An increase in productivity, whether achieved by technological advance or other means, is necessary to secure a greater share of domestic and overseas markets and hence an economy strong enough to support an expansion of job opportunities in productive and service industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are being taken to create job opportunities in the greater Bristol area.

Future employment opportunities in the Bristol area depend on our success in defeating inflation and regenerating industry. Firms can benefit from the selective financial assistance available under Section 8 of the Industry Act, which has so far resulted in offers worth over £1,500,000 towards projects in the Bristol area. The special employment measures which my Department has introduced have helped over 4,600 people in the area and will be further developed by the introduction this year of a youth opportunities programme and a special temporary employment programme.I would appeal to local authorities, employers and others in the Bristol area to take full advantage of the finance that is currently available under the work experience programme and under the Training Service Agency's training courses for unemployed young people. The Manpower Services Commission would also welcome proposals for projects under the new programmes to which I have referred.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why expenditure on measures to promote employment was less than originally planned in 1976–77; and what is the estimated position for 1977–78.

Expenditure on special employment measures in 1976–77 was less than originally planned principally because demand for assistance under these measures took longer to build up than expected. Estimated expenditure for 1977–78 is £402 million, which is likely to be substantially achieved.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received to date concerning the possible withdrawal of the temporary employment subsidy.

I have had numerous representations urging the Government to continue TES beyond 31st March, and these are being kept in mind in the present review of the future of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the amount paid in grants to firms in each region of the United Kingdom in temporary employment subsidy during the latest two years for which he has information; and if he will make a statement.

I regret I am unable to give information in the form requested. During 1976, £56·1 million were spent by way of temporary employment subsidy in Great Britain. The figure for 1977 was £169·7 million. The estimated totals of subsidy authorised on a cumulative basis—assuming maximum period of payment in each case—as at 31st December 1976 and 31st December 1977 are given by region in the table below. A separate scheme operates in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers in Wales, by industry, are currently benefiting from the temporary employment subsidy.

I regret that I am unable to give information in the precise form requested. Details of the cumulative total of jobs supported by industry in Wales, as at 31st December 1977, the latest available figures, are shown in the schedules below:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will discuss with the TUC and the CBI the possibility of reducing the period of years required for skilled apprentices to qualify.

There is no need for such discussions. Both the TUC and CBI were represented on a task group of the Manpower Services Commission whose report "Training for Skills—A Programme for Action" was published in December 1977.The report contains a number of recommendations to industry training boards and other national bodies, one of which is that the length of craft and technician training should be based on what has to be taught and on the rate of learning of the individual, subject to sufficient time being allowed to require maturity. It also recommends that there should be incentives for trainees to become qualified as quickly as possible. The report has been accepted by the Commission, and its general approach has been approved by the Government. I am informed by the Chairman of the Commission that the programme of action recommended in the report will now be discussed with industry through the training boards and other national or joint industry bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in the light of the petition signed by 175 of the 188 weekly paid staff of Grunwick Processing Limited asking their employer not to allow the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to conduct a new ballot on union recognition, whether he will ask the Chairman of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to scrap plans for such a second ballot.

No. The manner in which ACAS carries out its duties under the Employment Protection Act 1975 is one for the Service, under its independent Council, to decide in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will compare the current cost of the following items with that 10 years ago as a percentage of the average wage in each case: pint of beer, bottle of whisky, bottle of vermouth, bottle of other alcoholic liquor, 20 cigarettes, large loaf, pint of milk, one lb. of beef, one lb. of pork, one lb. of lamb, one lb. sausages, one lb. cheese, one lb. chicken, unit of electricity, unit of gas, gallon of petrol, the bus fare from Westminster to Putney, the Underground fare from Westminster to Putney, the train fare from Waterloo to Putney, the average council rent in Putney, a first-class stamp for a letter, and a second-class stamp for a letter.

Assuming the worker to have gross weekly earnings equal to the average for all full-time manual men and deductions for income tax and national insurance appropriate to a married man with two children under the age of 11, available information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what orders have been made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The following statutory instruments have been made under powers contained in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment which clauses of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 are now in force; and when the remaining clauses will be brought into force.

Sections 1 to 60 and Sections 77 to 85 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 are already in force. These sections were progressively brought into force by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act (1974) (Commencement No. 1) Order 1974 (Statutory Instrument 1974 No. 1439), some on 1st October 1974, some on 1st January 1975, and the remainder on 1st April 1975.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has brought the following sections and related schedules of Part III of the Act into operation—some for limited purposes only:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what evidence is available to him on the degree of attention paid by wages councils to the problems of homeworkers.

Most wages councils in industries employing homeworkers make specific reference in their wages orders to the application of statutory minimum remuneration to home workers. I understand that councils in the clothing manufacturing industries are currently considering the extension of protection beyond the fixing of minimum rates of pay.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of placings in employment of young people under the job creation scheme since it started, and the number of young people registered unemployed showing the figures for the United Kingdom, the Northern Region, Cleveland and Hartlepool, respectively.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the information requested is not available, but it is estimated that in Great Britain approximately 60,000 young people under age 18 have been placed in employment under the job creation programme.The numbers of young people under age 18 registered as unemployed in January this year were 2,394 in Cleveland and 452 in Hartlepool. The corresponding figures for the United Kingdom and the Northern Region are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received regarding the two-year waiting period of ineligibility for unemployment benefit for citizens of the United Kingdom who have returned from working overseas.

There is no statutory waiting period for persons in these circumstances, and the normal contribution conditions apply. The EEC Social Security Regulations and bilateral reciprocal agreements with a further 13 countries enable foreign contributions to count towards satisfying these conditions. Regulations made under the Social Security Act also assist persons sent abroad to work by British employers to meet these conditions on their return. Representations are occasionally received from persons returning from abroad to whom these arrangements do not apply and who need to requalify for benefit by virtue of employment in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will institute a Government-backed campaign to publicise the danger to health of excessive drinking in the light of the evidence of the increased incidence of alcoholism in the United Kingdom.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Ormskirk (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) on 23rd January.—[Vol. 942, c. 488.]The Health Education Council, with the Government's full support, launched a national campaign on better health which will, over the next six months or more, refer to the dangers of excessive drinking, amongst other things.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will detail the items represented by other changes in paragraphs 11 and 12, respectively, of Table 15 in Command Paper No. 7049-I; and if he will make a statement.

For 1976–77, the figure classified as "other changes in paragraph 11 of Table 15 in Cmnd. 7049–1 represents the difference between the forecast expenditure shown in Cmnd. 6721 and the latest outturn figures. The reasons for this difference are set out in paragraphs 1 and 13 of Chapter 11 of Part 2 of Cmnd. 7049-II. For the years 1977–78 to 1979–80 inclusive, the "other changes" arise from the net effect of estimating changes, mainly in the cost of family practitioner services plus minor additions to the programme. The figure of £142 million for 1980–81 also includes the amounts required for demographic change, as foreshadowed in the footnote to table 2–11 of Cmnd. 6721-II, forecast expenditure on the family practitioner services and additional capital expenditure, mentioned in paragraphs 11 and 17 of Chapter 11 of Part 2 of Cmnd. 7049-II, and makes some allowance for constantly improving medical techniques.In paragraphs 12 of Table 15 of Cmnd. 7049-I, the figures classified as "other changes" represent the net effect of changes in the economic and demographic assumptions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the cost during 1978 and in a full year of ceasing to deduct from retirement pensions a sum during hospitalisation designed to compensate for food costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost to the National Insurance Fund of ceasing to abate the retire-

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will update the information on the payment of supplementary benefit given to the hon. Member for Rushcliffe, Official Report, 14th January 1976, column 185.

Supplementary benefit appeal tribunals may make directions under Section 10 of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976, but it is for the Supplementary Benefits Commission to decide whether payment of benefit should be stopped in any case where a claimant refuses to take up a place at a re-establishment centre. Such cases are known

The deductions after eight weeks from the benefit of hospital inpatients receiving free maintenance are to take account of home saving. The estimated cost in 1978, at current pension rates, of ceasing to make the deductions from retirement pensions is about £50 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the assumptions behind the figures for numbers of persons receiving unemployment benefit in the years 1978–79 to 1981–82 in Cmnd. 7049.

It is not Government policy to disclose the underlying unemployment assumptions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will update the information on unemployed persons given to the hon. Member for Rushcliffe, Official Report, 14th January 1976, column 182.

Following is the available information:to be few, but the recording of the precise information was discontinued in 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average weekly cost of looking after an elderly person who is in the care of a local authority.

Information in the form requested is not available centrally, but I would draw the attention of my hon. Friend to the Statistical Information Service publications of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on the personal social services, copies of which are in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish in the Official Report the value of war pensions as a percentage of net average earnings for each year since 1946;(2) if he will update the information on war pensions given to the hon. Member for Walsall, South,

The following table gives the information requested:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many special clinics in Great Britain provide treatment for sufferers from migraine; and what percentage of the population are known to suffer from migraine

Information about special migraine clinics is not available centrally but we think that there are about 10 in Great Britain; in addition, most neurologists will provide specialist treatment. Central records of the number of persons suffering from migraine are not collected, but a survey by the Migraine Trust in 1975 produced an estimate of 10 per cent. of men and 16 per cent. of women.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average number of hospital beds provided annually for the years between 1970 and 1977.

For the years 1970 to 1976, the latest year for which this information is available, the average daily number of available beds in hospitals in England for all specialties was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the approximate number of children who have been registered for injections against poliomyelitis since January 1977;(2) what is the approximate number of children who registered for injections against poliomyelitis during 1974, 1975 and 1976, respectively;(3) what action is being taken to encourage the registration for poliomyelitis vaccination of children who have not registered for treatment.

Information on the number of children who have registered for injections against poliomyelitis is not available However, the numbers of children under 16 years of age in England who completed primary courses of vaccination against poliomyelitis during 1974, 1975 and 1976 were resepctively 529,779; 480,646; and 494,711. The corresponding figure for 1977 is not yet available.Parents of all children under five years of age are advised by the health visitor to have their children considered for immunisation. The Health Education Council has also produced a leaflet for parents, and I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the latest figures of people on the waiting lists for the Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry; and how these compare with the average figures for hospitals in England and Wales.

At 31st December 1976, the latest date for which figures are readily available, waiting lists at Walsgrave Hospital were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will cause an investigation to be made into a case of an individual in Tower Hamlets, details of whom have been supplied to him, who has publicly admitted abusing the social security schemes; what action he proposes to take; and whether he will make a statement.

Action to be taken will depend on the outcome of an investigation started some time ago by my officials.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are his Department's estimates of the effects on the National Insurance Fund of average unemployment levels in 1978–79 of 1,300,000, 1,400,000, 1,600,000 and 1,700,000, respectively.

The financial effect on the National Insurance Fund of varying the unemployment assumptions used in the Government Actuary's report on the Social Security (Contributions, Re-rating) (No. 2) Order 1977 (Cmnd. 7036) would be as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are now known to be suffering from the damaging side-effects of the drug Eraldin; and what were the known numbers one and two years ago, respectively.

By 30th November 1977, the Committee on Safety of Medicines had received 1,623 reports of suspected adverse reactions in patients who had been treated with Eraldin (practolol). The corresponding figures at 30th November 1976 and 30th November 1975 were 1,261 and 1,034 respectively. Most of these suspected reactions occurred before or during 1974 when a possible association with Eraldin was first recognised. It is likely that a proportion of the reports relate to events which would have occurred independently or which were due to concurrently administered drugs and bear no relation to treatment with practolol.

asked the Secretary of Services if he will give the incidence of adenocarcinoma; and if he will make a statement.

The information is not readily available, but I will write to my hon. friend.