asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in implementing the Report on Bulls and Public Footpaths.

Due to the present demands on parliamentary time, it has not yet been possible to introduce the necessary legislation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider prohibiting the import of liver pâté produced by the forced feeding of geese in view of the cruelty involved.

Such a step would not be justified. We have no evidence that the method used in producing pâté de foie gras involves unnecessary suffering.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the last two dates on which the dog licence fee was altered; what the fee was fixed on each of these dates; and what the fee would now have to be to restore it in real terms to the level on each of these dates.

The excise duty for keeping a dog was set at 5s. in 1867 and raised to its present level of 7s. 6d. (37½p) in 1878. I am advised that, in terms of purchasing power, the corresponding amounts today might lie in the ranges £3 to £4 and £4·50 to £6 respectively.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list in the Official Report the academic qualifications of the last three intakes of administration trainees, distinguishing non-graduates and graduates in history, other arts subjects, science, engineering and other technical subjects.

The table below gives details of the degree subjects studied by candidates appointed to the administration trainee grade of the Home Civil Service between 1975 and 1977. Serving civil servants do not need an academic qualification to be eligible for these competitions, while external candidates must have a degree with honours.

Subject	1975	1976	1977
History	45	35	24
Other arts	64	49	45
Economics and other social sciences	76	59	52
Science and mathematics	36	25	14
Engineering and technology	2	—	—
Other subjects	1	5	2
No degree	27	13	6
	251	186	143

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what were the costs during the period 1st January 1976 to 31st December 1977 of the 444 lunches and dinners given by Her Majesty's Government at which 199 hon. Members were present; and what were the costs and numbers of hon. Members concerned for each of the years from 1970 to 31st December 1976.

I regret that the costs of the meals to which Members were invited, during the period 1st January 1976 to 31st December 1977, could not be separated from other expenditure from the Government Hospitality Fund without incurring disproportionate cost. Similarly information relating to the years from 1970 to 31st December 1976 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether the concept of organic change in local government structure aiming at a more rational distribution of functions as between counties and the former county boroughs is being considered in relation to Wales as well as to England.

The opportunity of reviewing the structure and functions of local government in Wales is offered through the Wales Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on future extensions of the M11 motorway, particularly in the light of proposals for the increased use of Stansted Airport.

The M11 between the North Circular Road at Woodford and the A120 near to Stansted Airport is already open to traffic. Its extension northwards to the A604 north-west of Cambridge is underway now and should be completed in 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce the burden of debt charges which has to be met by British Railways.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his last meeting with the Chairman of British Railways.

As always, we had a useful discussion ranging over a number of railway matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce the results of his review of further main-line electrification.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he has made in his review of railway electrification projects.

Not for some time.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest estimate of the cost of repairing and replacing road joints on the elevated section of the M5 and M6 motorways in the West Midlands.

About £900 per joint. If all joints needed replacing, the total cost would be about £2¼ million.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he intends to take to assist the voluntary usage of tachographs; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he intends to take to assist the voluntary usage of tachographs; and whether he will make a statement.

The Passenger and Goods Vehicles (Recording Equipment) Regulations 1977 (SI 1977, No. 777) already permit the voluntary use of tachographs.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what action he has taken in response to the Council of Europe's recommendation in favour of the Channel Tunnel.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe made a recommendation on 24th January covering several transport projects. It was addressed to the Council's Committee of Ministers, who have not yet considered it. The question of a response from me does not arise at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are made to monitor the present standards of road maintenance.

Since 1976, local authorities in England and Wales have been cooperating with my Department in monitoring road condition by means of an annual sample survey.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will next meet the Chairman of the National Bus Company.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will next meet the Chairman of the National Bus Company.

When either of us feels the need.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is satisfied with the operation of the law on the display of vehicle tax discs.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the recommendations for improving coach safety.

Proposals for common test procedures for checking compliance with ECE Regulation No. 36 on roof strength have now been prepared and put forward within ECE, and so has a draft of a new regulation on seats and seat mountings. Consultation has taken place on a proposal to amend the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) Regulations 1972 so as to require escape hatches to be fitted in roofs, but in view of serious objections on grounds of cost alternative possibilities are being examined.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the original estimated cost of the Humber Bridge at mid-1977 prices, in comparison with the latest figure of £60 million.

The estimated cost of the bridge when work was authorised to start in February 1973 was just over £28 million. At mid-1977 prices, that cost would have been about £56 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve the roads inquiry procedure; and whether he will make a statement.

The review of highway inquiry procedures is almost completed. I expect to announce the outcome shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Rochester Way section of the A2 through Eltham is part of the E2; what width and type of road is recommended for the traffic flow measured on the Rochester Way; what is the minimum width of the existing road; and whether he will make a statement on the proposed relief road.

The A2 is not designated as an E route. The Rochester Way section is a metropolitan principal road, and questions of its adequacy and of the need for a relief road are matters for the Greater London Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he is giving to making concessionary fares for the elderly a matter of national policy rather than of discretion for the local authorities.

I reviewed the policy for concessionary fares last year. As explained in the transport policy White Paper, a national scheme as good as the most generous current schemes would be too expensive, and a national scheme which we could afford would mean a reduction in some existing schemes. I am therefore making more resources available for local authorities to introduce or improve schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport why the Government have not introduced a nationwide scheme for concessionary fares on public transport.

We considered the possibility of a national concessionary fares scheme before issuing the transport policy White Paper, but concluded that we could not afford a national scheme as good as the most generous existing schemes. Any uniform national scheme that we could afford would therefore mean reducing the concessions at present enjoyed by a large number of people. I am making resources available for local authorities to introduce new and improved schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what further representations he has had on the question of the unrestricted use of the Didcot freight distribution centre; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what further representations he has had on the question of the unrestricted use of the Didcot freight distribution centre; and whether he will make a statement.

I have received very few further representations since I answered the hon. Members' previous Questions on 1st February. I do not think there is anything I can usefully add to what I said then.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will have discussion with Avon County Council Highways Department about the future roads structure which affects the Kingswood constituency.

No. The responsibility for the future road structure in Kingswood lies with Avon County Council, the highway and planning authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the number of miles of new motorways and dual carriageways currently being built.

About 100 miles of trunk motorways and 85 miles of all purpose dual carriageway trunk roads are under construction in England.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to be able to come to a final decision about whether to commence traffic counts in April or October, instead of August.

I cannot yet add to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend on 1st February.—[Vol. 943, c. 193.]

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials work in the complaints department of the Swansea Vehicle Licensing Centre.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow).

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how much he proposes to spend on advertising his campaign to encourage the wearing of seat belts; and how many lives he hopes to save thereby.

The current seat belt publicity campaign will cost £705,000. It is impossible to predict how many people will respond to the campaign, but for those who do wear their belts and are involved in an accident, the risk of being killed is approximately halved.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has information about the percentage reductions of fatalities in road accidents shown by research or claimed to have been achieved by the introduction of compulsory wearing of seat belts in other countries; and how these compare with the percentage reduction of fatalities officially predicted if compulsory wearing should be introduced in Great Britain.

The evidence available from other countries indicates that the wearing of a seat belt reduces the risk of death in a traffic accident by between 50 and 80 per cent. For Great Britain, the official estimate is for a risk reduction of at least 50 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the distribution of international haulage permits; and whether he will make a statement.

We receive a steady stream of representations but to date no practicable suggestions for alternative methods.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider assuming financial responsibility for the A120 in Essex, in view of its importance for port traffic.

My right hon. Friend will meet the full cost of improvements to the A604 between Colchester and Harwich, which he proposes to take over as a trunk road. But the A120 west of Colchester is not of sufficient national importance to justify similar treatment.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what encouragement he is giving to the promotion of diesel-engined passenger cars.

This Department is taking part in discussions with other Departments, our European partners and the motor industry to identify the circumstances in which the wider use of the diesel engine would be advantageous.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether any proposals have been put to him for capital investment on the rail service between North Wales and Cardiff.

I have no proposals before me at present, but I understand that installation of modern track and refurbishment of rolling stock are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether provision will be made for later construction of a second carriageway alongside those sections of the M1/A1 link road on the route from the Midlands to the East Coast ports which are expected to be constructed initially as single carriageway roads, particularly by ensuring that bridge widths will be adequate for this purpose;(2) what are his Department's intentions in regard to the width of the sections of the M1/A1 link road on the route from the Midlands to the East Coast ports which are expected to be single carriageway roads and as to the number of lanes and the widths thereof on such roads.

This will be considered as part of the study of standards and traffic now taking place.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what are his Department's intentions concerning the provision to be made for parking and removal of broken-down vehicles so as to reduce accident risks on the sections of the M1/A1 link road on the route from the Midlands to the East Coast ports expected to be single carriageway roads.

In accordance with the Department's practice for new roads of this type, laybys would be provided at regular intervals on any single carriageway sections.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what are his Department's intentions in regard to grade separation at junctions so as to reduce accident risks on the sections of the M1/A1 link road on the route from the Midlands to the East Coast ports which are expected to be single carriageway roads.

Grade separation of side roads and junctions would be provided on any single carriageway sections where the traffic seemed likely to justify it.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations have objected to proposals to increase the toll charges at the Severn Bridge and the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel; and how many other objections have been submitted.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he intends to initiate public inquiries to consider the objections to the proposed increases of toll charges at the Severn Bridge and the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will consider the need for legislation to permit temporary suspension of toll charges at toll bridges and tunnels when this would be considered desirable to minimise the delays caused by congestion at peak periods.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, in the light of the Lincolnshire County Council's plans for an integrated public transport service in the Market Rasen-Caister area, why the Transport and Road Research Laboratory survey was carried out without the agreement of the county council, envisaged the complete withdrawal of services, and did not take account of the planned reorganisation.

At the outset, it was understood that the three bus services in question were to be withdrawn but that whatever the changes in services the first step must be to identify the regular users of the services. The county council was told about the survey and the results will be available to the council. I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will hold an inquiry into the Banbury link road to the proposed M40 extension in view of the strength of feeling among the residents that the so-called north link road should be adopted; how will the cost be apportioned between the county council and the Government for any such link road; what are the estimated costs of the north and south link roads, respectively; when a decision on the link road must be taken; and what factors are taken into account in deciding which link road is to be adopted.

I am not aware that the Oxfordshire County Council, the highway authority, has yet reached any decision about the route of the proposed Banbury link road. However, any public inquiry in relation to the granting of planning permission would be for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the British Railways Board relating to the use of railway facilities as an alternative to constructing (a) the Kirkhamgate-Dishforth trunk route, (b) the new proposed Oxford-Birmingham trunk route and (c) the scheme for the new bypass at Winchester; and if he will make them available in the Library.

The following representations have been received from British Rail:

(a) Kirkhamgate-Dishforth route. The Chief Executive (Railways) of the British Railways Board wrote to the Department of the Environment on 22nd March 1976, and met Departmental officials on 29th June 1976.

(b) Oxford-Birmingham route. The General Manager, British Rail Western Region, wrote to my Department on 12th December 1977.

(c) M3 Winchester Bypass. British Rail Southern Region appeared at the public inquiry into this section of the M3 on 15th March 1977, and submitted a written statement to the inspector.

In all the above cases, British Rail requested that in considering the investment in the road proposals I should take account of the present and potential capacity of the existing rail network.With the agreement of the British Railways Board, copies of the representations will be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Community Relations Commission was formed; what staff and officers have been employed; and what have been the costs to date.

The Community Relations Commission was set up under the Race Relations Act 1968 and wound up in June 1977. The approved staff complement in 1976–77 was 135. Grants-in-aid made to the Commission up to and including 1976–77 total £8,305,750.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will list the number of organisations in existence connected with race, immigration, and community relations where public money is paid; what is the number of staff employed; and what is the annual cost for each of the years since each of these organisations was established;(2) whether he has received the communication from the hon. Member for Newham, North-West giving official figures of the grants and expenditure of central Government funds on community relations for each of the past five years; and whether he will publish the official figures in the

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give the actual or estimated expenditure from national funds on all matters connected with immigration, central and local government offices, race relations boards and community relations councils for the longest and most convenient period of time.

I shall write to my hon. Friend on these Questions and on the Question addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to which I have been asked to reply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he is aware that since the years 1973–74 until 1977–78 Commonwealth immigrants' grants had increased from £9,354,000 to £21,175,000; what were the reasons for this increase; and, now that immigration has been reduced to a mere trickle, what action he has taken or proposes to take to reduce this expenditure;(2) whether he is aware that in the year 1973–74 £12,532,000 was spent on community relations from grants by central Government and in the year 1977–78 the grant has gone up to £26,787,000; and what is the reason for this increase in view of the fact that there is now only a mere trickle of immigrants.

Yes. The higher set of figures in the second Question includes those in the first. These grants reflect needs in the field of community relations and equal opportunities. The current rate of immigration is not directly relevant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the reduction of immigration to a mere trickle, what action he has taken, or intends taking, to reduce the grants to bodies concerned with race relations.

None. There is a continuing need to eliminate discrimination on racial grounds, to secure equality of opportunity for people of all racial groups and to promote harmonious race relations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the grant to the Commission for Racial Equality was increased in the year 1976–77 from £149,000 to £2,578,000 in the year 1977–78; and, in view of the fact that immigration has now been reduced to a mere trickle, what action he has taken or proposes to take to reduce these grants.

The Commission for Racial Equality did not assume its full statutory responsibilities until 13th June 1977, and expenditure in 1976–77 was limited to preparatory work in setting the Commission up. The Commission's duties are not directly related to the rate of immigration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has made any recent new appointments to the Equal Opportunities Commission; whether there are any vacancies on the Commission; and if he will list the current membership.

I have recently appointed Mr. J. F. Eccles and Mr. M. T. Fuller to be members of the Equal Opportunities Commission. I have also reappointed seven other members of the Commission. There is one vacancy, which I hope to fill shortly.The current membership of the Commission is:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the proportion of the electorate which voted "Yes" and which voted "No" in the referendum on the Sunday opening of licensed premises in Wales in 1975, in each of the district council areas in Wales.

In 1975, polls on the Sunday opening of licensed premises in Wales were held in 18 districts where the district councils received valid requisitions for polls. The information for these districts is as follows:

	For Sunday opening Per cent.	Against Sunday opening Per cent.
Aberconwy	32·9	17·2
Afan	17·8	4·7
Arfon	21·6	26·0
Carmarthen	22·9	28·1
Ceredigion	19· 9	29·3
Colwyn	27·5	13·1
Dinefwr	26·1	23·9
Dwyfor	18·5	36·1
Glyndwr	32·1	17·7
Llanelli	27·9	16·7
Lliw Valley	20·6	9·2
Meirionnydd	25·2	33·7
Montgomery	32·9	13·2
Preseli	31·4	12·2
Rhuddlan	26·7	6·1
South Pembrokeshire	33·5	9·3
Wrexham Maelor	33·1	6·5
Ynys Môn—Isle of Anglesey	23·5	27·4

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many of the old counties, and county boroughs of Wales in the referendum on Sunday opening in 1961 the "Yes" vote represented less than 40 per cent. of the electorate.

In the 1961 poll, the percentage of the total electorate voting in favour of Sunday opening did not exceed 40 per cent. in any of the then counties or county boroughs in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of persons that die between 10th October and 16th February in each year, and between 10th

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF PERSONS OLD ENOUGH TO BE ON THE ELECTORAL REGISTER WHO DIED IN CERTAIN PERIODS IN 1974
		Thousands
Period		England and Wales	Wales
10th October-31st December and 1st January-16th February	…	209	12
10th October-31st December and 1st January-28th February	…	233	13
10th October-31st December and 1st January-31st March	…	289	16
10th October-31st December and 1st January-30th April	…	338	19
10th October-31st December and 1st January-31st May	…	385	22
10th October-31st December and 1st January-30th June	…	427	24
10th October-31st December and 1st January-31st July	…	469	26
10th October-31st December and 1st January-31st August	…	511	29
10th October-31st December and 1st January-30th September	…	554	31
10th October-31st December and 1st January-31st October	…	602	34
10th October-31st December and 1st January-30th November	…	649	36

No figures are available for the number of persons, and hence the number of deaths of such persons, registered more than once for electoral registration purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether under the existing rules the dependants of male fiances admitted to settle in the United Kingdom may themselves be admitted for settlement.

If a male fiance—who would be admitted temporarily in the first instance—is accepted for settlement after marriage, his dependants might also be allowed to join him, but they would have to meet the requirements of the relevant paragraphs of the Immigration Rules. Those most likely to be relevant provide that, in the case of parents and grandparents, at least one of them must in general be over 65—

The following table gives estimates of the number of persons old enough to be on the electoral register who died in the periods stated in 1974. The estimates for England and Wales are based on recorded monthly figures of deaths in England and Wales given in "Mortality Statistics" published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, Series DH1 No. 1 (1974) and Series DH5 No. 1 (1974). The estimates for Wales are a fixed proportion, based on 1974 population figures, of the estimates for England and Wales.except for widows, who may be of any age—and that they must be wholly or mainly dependent upon their children settled in the United Kingdom. The admission of other near relatives—brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles—is confined, except in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances, to those over 65 who are isolated and distressed as defined in the rules. In all such cases, the sponsor must be able and willing to support and accommodate his dependants without recourse to public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he allowed Mr. Manolakakis, a convicted illegal Greek immigrant, recommended by a court for deportation to remain in the United Kingdom; whether it was with his authority that a statement was issued from his office stating that Mr. Manolakakis will eventually be allowed permanent residence; and as Mr. Manolakakis is a waiter and there is great unemployment in the catering industry, whether consideration was and will be given to this aspect of the matter.

As my hon. Friend is aware, cases are considered individually and on their merits.In this case, Mr. Manolakakis has married a Cornish girl to whom he had been engaged for some months. In consequence, he has a case for consideration under the provision in the Immigration Rules whereby a man, on marriage to a woman settled here, may be allowed to remain.I have no reason to believe that the marriage is other than a genuine one, and it follows that it is right to give him permission to remain for 12 months in the first instance, in the usual way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the figures of the New Commonwealth and Pakistani citizens accepted for settlement between 1973–75 and 1975–77, and the reasons for acceptance, on the basis of grandparent born in the United Kingdom, marriage, completion of four years' employment, and other dependants and children.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Horsham and Crawley (Mr. Hordern) on 3rd February—[Vol. 943, cols. 339–340.]—which includes estimates for 1977. Further details of the figures for 19731976 are given in the annual Command Papers the latest of which is "Control of Immigration, Statistics, 1976" (Cmnd. 6883). Detailed figures for 1977 will be published in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the longest period that a prisoner has been in cellular confinement for disciplinary reasons; what was his offence; and where he is located;(2) how many prisoners at the latest available date are: (

I regret that this information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received the letter from the hon. Member for Newham, North-West with details concerning electoral figures of immigrants in certain parliamentary constituencies; to what extent these figures are accurate; and whether he will publish these in the Official Report together with comparisons for each of the last 10 years.

We have not yet received the letter to which my hon. Friend refers. The registers of electors include all eligible British subjects and citizens of the Republic of Ireland resident here on the qualifying date and give no indication of the nationality of citizenship of individual electors.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in the Official Report as much detailed information as is available showing to what extent his policy of tightening up on immigration has resulted in a fall-off in immigration into the parliamentary constituency of Ilford, North since October 1974.

Provisional estimates for 1977 given in a reply my right hon. Friend gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Horsham and Crawley (Mr. Hordern) on 3rd February—[Vol. 943, c. 339–40]—show a decline in the number of people accepted for settlement, which is due to a variety of factors. It is not possible to determine to what extent individual constituencies have been affected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision Her Majesty's Government are making for refugees from Chile; what provision Her Majesty's Government are making for refugees from Latin America other than from Chile; and whether Her Majesty's Government intend to establish a general fund for refugees.

In addition to the provisions in the Immigration Rules relating to political asylum, my predecessor announced in July 1975 revised criteria for accepting people detained in Chile on political grounds, and in July 1976 offered to accept 75 people from Argentina considered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to be in exceptional danger. The 1975 criteria continue to apply and applications continue to be processed from Argentina although the numerical quota has been filled. I am currently reviewing the situation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the ranks of the 82 police officers from ethnic minorities serving in the Metropolitan Police and their countries of origin; and how long those holding officer rank and above and constable and sergeant have held these positions.

Three of these 82 officers are sergeants and the remainder constables. None has attained higher rank, but only 10 have more than five years' service, of whom two are sergeants.Countries of birth are:

West Indies	…	…	27
United Kingdom	…	…	21
Kenya	…	…	10
India	…	…	8
Uganda	…	…	3
South Africa	…	…	2
St. Helena	…	…	2
Cyprus	…	…	2
Guyana	…	…	1
Kuwait	…	…	1
Sri Lanka	…	…	1
Germany	…	…	1
Mauritius	…	…	1
Bahamas	…	…	1
Malaysia	…	…	1

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of officers, specifying ranks, in the Metropolitan Police Force within the last 12 months, to the latest convenient date, who (a) have been found guilty by a court on a criminal charge, (b) have been dismissed the service on disciplinary charges, (c) currently have charges against them and are awaiting trial, (d) have been suspended pending disciplinary inquiries and complaints, and (e) have had complaints made against them by members of the public.

Following is the information. Except where otherwise indicated, the figures are for the year ended 31st December 1977.(

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to seek to allow postal and proxy voting in parish council elections.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from each EEC country were issued with residence permits during (a) 1976 and (b) the first half of 1977.

The information for 1976 is contained in Table 5 of the Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics 1976" (Cmnd. 6883) and is reproduced below, together with figures for the first half of 1977.

RESIDENCE PERMITS ISSUED TO EEC NATIONS AND THEIR DEPENDANTS
Country	1976	January-June 1977
Belgium	178	71
Denmark	489	208
France	1,840	873
Germany (Federal Republic)	1,625	797
Ireland (Republic of)*	—	—
Italy	2,136	1,030
Luxembourg	5	3
Netherlands	838	388
Total	7,111	3,370
* Citizens of the Republic of Ireland do not have to obtain residence permits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen were injured while on duty in 1977; and of that total how many received injuries as a result of violence at political meetings, marches and other political demonstrations.

This information is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will announce the names of the members of the tribunal of inquiry on the Crown Agents.

Mr. Justice Croom-Johnson will be chairman of the tribunal, and the other members will be Lord Allen of Abbeydale and Sir William Slimmings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the total number of people employed by the Immigration Service in each year since its inception;(2) what was the cost to public funds of the Immigration Service in each year since its inception.

The Immigration Service, in its present form, was established in 1920. Staffing figures for years prior to 1953 are not readily available. The total number of staff in post on 1st January 1953 and on 1st January in subsequent years was as follows:

1953	…	…	361
1954	…	…	358
1955	…	…	357
1956	…	…	372
1957	…	…	414
1958	…	…	436
1959	…	…	442
1960	…	…	446
1961	…	…	451
1962	…	…	497
1963	…	…	535
1964	…	…	558
1965	…	…	548
1966	…	…	659
1967	…	…	752
1968	…	…	761
1969	…	…	849
1970	…	…	1,017
1971	…	…	1,139
1972	…	…	1,272
1973	…	…	1,297
1974	…	…	1,404
1975	…	…	1,508
1976	…	…	1,507
1977	…	…	1,513
1978	…	…	1,515

The cost of the Immigration Service since its inception cannot be distinguished readily from other expenditure on Home Office staff of which it forms a part. The salary cost for the 1977–78 financial year is estimated to be approximately £9 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in the light of the recent decision by the Local Government Boundary Commission to suspend all work on reviews pending the outcome of an appeal against a High Court judgment, what action he proposes to take to safeguard the timetable of local government boundary revisions against disruption and delay.

Pending the outcome of the appeal, I do not propose to take any action. The Commission's programme of other work is not affected by its decision to suspend work on electoral reviews.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will introduce legislation to seek to end the power of a Crown court on appeal to substitute a sentence of imprisonment for a fine imposed by a magistrates' court;(2) in how many cases since 1st January 1975 sentences of imprisonment have been imposed by the High Court in appeals against the imposition of a fine by a magistrates' court; how many such cases were in respect of a first offence; and in how many a jury was empanelled.

We have no proposal to amend the law concerning the power of the Crown court, when rehearing a case on appeal from a magistrates' court, to pass a sentence of imprisonment instead of a fine originally imposed.As regards the second Question, statistical information about appeals to the Crown court shows the sentence imposed by the Crown court, but not the original sentence imposed by the magistrates' court. Arrangements have already been made to collect such information for 1978 onwards. No juries are empanelled on appeal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will describe the special checks made on foreign nationals who are admitted temporarily to the United Kingdom to take or look for work to safeguard against their becoming a burden on public funds.

Foreign nationals other than EEC nationals are not admitted to the United Kingdom to look for work. Those coming to take work are normally required to have had a work permit issued in advance by the Department of Employment for a specific job.EEC nationals are entitled to come here to look for and take work but may be refused entry if they have no intention of doing either and are likely to become a charge on public funds.There is a standing arrangement whereby the Department of Health and Social Security reports to us cases of foreign nationals who draw supplementary benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now completed his consultations with the police about an experimental scheme for tape recording of interviews at police stations to provide evidence for the Royal Commission on Criminal Procedure; and where such experiments are now expected to take place.

My Department is at present preparing a paper for the Royal Commission on Criminal Procedure about the possibility of an experiment so that the views of the Commission can be obtained on its desirability and scope, in relation to the Commission's own work, before a final decision about an experiment is taken. Further consultation with the police must await that decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish figures showing central Government financial aid to the playgroup movement; how many full-time advisers are partly or wholly financed by central funds; and how many Scottish Office-assisted custom-built premises have been constructed in the past few years.

Grant of £51,238 has been offered to the Scottish Pre-School Playgroups Association for 1977–78 for its national activities, including the salaries of six full-time advisory field staff. Government grants to local authorities under the urban programme in respect of playgroups are expected to amount to about £19,630 in the current year. No grants have been made towards the construction of custom-built premises.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received recently regarding the problem of dampness or condensation in Scottish houses; what funds he has allocated to assisting local authorities and individuals to meet these problems; and if he plans to initiate a national research programme on these matters.

During the past 12 months we have had representations on dampness or condensation from several hon. Members, organisations and tenants. It was open to local authorities to include in their first housing plans proposals for capital works to deal with such problems. They may include such proposals in succeeding housing plans. For 1978–79 we would regard loan charges on such works as eligible for housing expenditure subsidy: after 1979–80 they would be eligible for the proposed housing support grant.Successive research projects have been and are being commissioned by the Government with the National Building Agency, the Building Research Establishment and Strathclyde University.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the local housing plans that have been received by his office;(2) if he will publish in the

Housing plans have now been submitted by all 56 local housing authorities and arrangements are being made to make copies available in the Library. The expenditure bids made by authorities for 1978–79 are given in the table below. Details of allocations and actual expenditure by district and islands councils over the past three years were given in my reply to the hon. Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan) on 21st February.—[Vol. 944, c. 508–10.] The non-housing revenue account bids submitted by authorities include estimates for lending to housing associations—amounting to about £6 million—but this expenditure is treated separately from the allocations for 1978–79.

Authority	HRA Block Housing Plan Bid	Non-HRA Block Housing Plan Bid
Aberdeen City	18·654	2·109
Angus	4·500	0·526
Annandale and Eskdale	3·568	0·180
Argyll and Bute	4·463	0·854
Badenoch and Strathspey	0·911	0·100
Banff and Buchan	4·374	0·375
Bearsden and Milngavie	1·062	0·020
Berwickshire	0·723	0·116
Caithness	3·787	0·383
Clackmannan	3·309	0·802
Clydebank	2·772	0·155
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	1·133	0·141
Cumnock and Doon Valley	2·155	0·155
Cunninghame	5·768	1·347
Dumbarton	2·700	0·752
Dundee City	9·898	1·143
Dunfermline	6·408	0·240
East Kilbride	0·962	0·140
East Lothian	3·383	0·599
Eastwood	0·444	0·095
Edinburgh City	9·779	6·883
Ettrick and Lauderdale	0·580	0·600
Falkirk	5·522	0·400
Glasgow City	67·779	11·655
Gordon	1·889	0·470
Hamilton	8·101	0·690
Inverclyde	4·384	1·580
Inverness	3·979	0·275
Kilmarnock and Loudoun	4·265	0·552
Kincardine and Deeside	1·391	0·150
Kirkcaldy	4·823	0·539
Kyle and Carrick	3·332	0·235
Lanark	1·645	0·428
Lochaber	3·448	0·460
Midlothian	3·214	0·080
Monklands	20·745	1·714
Moray	7·009	0·680
Motherwell	9·651	0·310
Nairn	0·623	0·230
Nithsdale	1·751	0·225
North East Fife	5·383	0·368
Perth and Kinross	6·710	0·909
Renfrew	10·106	4·080
Ross and Cromarty	6·381	0·830
Roxburgh	2·897	0·225
Skye and Lochalsh	1·010	0·312
Stewartry	1·396	0·095
Stirling	7·381	0·518
Strathkelvin	7·479	0·660
Sutherland	1·025	0·217
Tweeddale	0·515	0·083
West Lothian	1·055	0·488
Wigtown	1·747	0·125
Orkney	1·312	0·865
Shetland	3·193	0·457
Western Isles	3·556	0·465
Total	306·030	49·085

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the latest information on the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools closed in Scotland recently as a result of industrial action by oil delivery drivers, indicating in each case the number of school days lost.

This information is not available centrally. During the period of industrial action I obtained daily reports of the situation in the areast most affected. These reports however would not enable a list to be compiled giving the particulars asked for and I do not think I would be justified in asking the authorities to devote the time and effort necessary to provide the information.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to ensure that, at the time of a referendum being held in Scotland under the terms of the Scotland Bill, the electoral register in Scotland will be brought up to date to ensure that the 40 per cent. provision in the Bill will be calculated on the living and not on the living and dead members of the roll.

No. Updating of the register in the way suggested would amount to full-scale revision requiring a period of several months.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will investigate why computer studies are not included as a subject for certificate of education in schools in Scotland, whereas they are included for similar certificates in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement;(2) if, in view of the job opportunities in the computer and associated industries, he is satisfied with the present level of facilities for teaching computer studies in schools; and if he will make a statement.

The advice given in 1972 by the Consultative Committee on the Curriculum was that computer studies should not be developed as a subject in its own right but should be incorporated into the teaching of other subjects. The Scottish Certificate of Education Examination Board has accordingly not provided a separate examination in this subject. Computing does, however, form parts of the examination syllabuses in mathematics and accounting.Responsibility for the provision of facilities for the teaching of school subjects rests with education authorities. These facilities include the provision of mini-computers which can be taken from school to school to give pupils practical experience of using computers. Provision varies from region to region, but it is generally satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what activities are undertaken by her Department in relation to the needs of gipsies and other travellers; what are the annual costs to public funds; and what is the estimated additional cost of any proposed expansion of such activities.

The Educational Disadvantage Unit in my Department maintains contact with other Government Departments, gipsy organisations and other voluntary bodies working in this field and also handles educational projects for gipsies under the urban programme. The provision made for gipsies by local education authorities is subject to inspection by Her Majesty's inspectors, one of whom is responsible for national co-ordination. The Department has provided a number of short courses for teachers working with gipsy children and another to be held this summer. The Centre for Information and Advice on Educational Disadvantage, financed by my Department, organised a conference last autumn for those involved in gipsy education which I and other members of the Department attended.To cost these activities would be extremely difficult and likely to be unreliable. No such expansion is proposed at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what would be the estimated effect on employment per additional or reduced £100 million expenditure on the education service.

This would depend entirely on how the extra resources were spent by local education authorities or grant-aided bodies. For example, £100 million would be sufficient to employ about 25,000 teachers in maintained schools, assuming they were all new entrants or re-entrants and that no significant additional expenditure was incurred other than for salaries, superannuation and national insurance contributions. The same sum spent on capital construction would create about 5,600 jobs over the period of the construction depending on the type of educational buildings being erected. In practice, extra resources of this size would be spread over many different forms of expenditure, some more labour intensive than others. The same would be true of a reduction in educational expenditure of this amount.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers were employed at Eaton Hall Training College, Retford in 1977; how many of these will be made redundant by Nottinghamshire County Council; how many will be offered other jobs; and whether these alternative jobs will necessitate reductions in salary.

There were 63 full-time teaching staff at Eaton Hall College in September 1977. The number to be made redundant or redeployed is a matter for the Nottinghamshire Education Authority taking account of the planned reduction in teacher-training intakes and the arrangements finally agreed for higher and further education at Eaton Hall. Staff v ho are offered and take up alternative employment by local education authorities as teachers will have their salaries safeguarded.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recommendations she has made to Nottinghamshire County Council regarding the continuation of the design and craft department at Eaton Hall Training College; and whether she will prevent the county council from moving this department to Nottingham.

My right hon. Friend has encouraged the Nottinghamshire Education Authority to retain provision for courses in craft, design and technology within arrangements designed to minimise the educational disadvantage of operating on two sites.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals she has for the future of the buildings at Eaton Hall Teacher Training College.