asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy towards the opinion expressed by the European Parliament that in the European Economic Community 1978 farm price review there should be a maximum overall price increase of 2 per cent. and no price increase at all for those products where there is a structural surplus.

We entirely agree that there should be no increase in common prices for products in structural surplus. We wish to see the maximum restraint on common prices and my right hon. Friend will continue to press for this as forcefully as he can.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now make known his policy on potato acreages and guaranteed prices for the current season.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Watford (Mr. Tuck) on 3rd March and the reply given to the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Wiggin) on 16th March.—[Vol. 945, c. 413–14; Vol. 946, c. 615.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make representations to British Aerospace seeking its co-operation in extending the time during which Hawarden Airport is open for air services from and to Cardiff in order to improve the viability of the new service that has recently been established.

Arrangements for the use of Hawarden airport are a matter for negotiation between British Aerospace and the air operator concerned. The Welsh Office is in close touch with the discussions about the service between Cardiff and North Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether, following the precedent of the Department of the Environment, he will now issue a White Paper on the guidelines on roads policy to be prepared by his Department.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Evans) on 10th April.—[Vol. 947, c. 339–40.]

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he will publish his next report on oil and gas development in the United Kingdom.

I have today published the annual "Brown Book" report on the development of the oil and gas resources of the United Kingdom. It covers offshore oil and gas activity last year, together with some new estimates of reserves and prospects for the future. I have placed copies in the Library of the House and in the Vote Office stores.The report is a very encouraging one. It demonstrates clearly the considerable economic impact that oil development is now having on the economy. One indicator is the build-up of oil and gas royalties from £44·2 million in 1976 to £228 million last year. The almost 38 million tonnes of oil production in 1977 was valued at over £2,000 million and the overall benefit to the balance of payments was a similar amount.The report notes a sharp increase in exploration and appraisal activity combined in the second half of last year and forecasts the maintenance of that momentum in 1978.Oil production for 1978 is expected to be between 55 million and 65 million tonnes. This build-up of production will continue with three new oilfields coming on stream in 1978 and the opening of the Sullom Voe oil terminal in Shetland.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many warrant sales were granted to the British Gas Corporation in Scotland in each of the last five years for the recovery of domestic debt from consumers.

This is a matter for the British Gas Corporation; I am asking the chairman of the Corporation to write to the hon. Member to provide the information available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are her criteria for a secondary comprehensive school having a sixth form.

I have to look at every proposal for the establishment of a sixth form on its merits. But my concern is that there should be an adequate range of courses without uneconomic staffing or at the expense of the rest of the school. This suggests normally a minimum of 70 pupils and preferably 100.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied that the governing, admini- strative and curricular arrangements now in being at Fircroft College, Selly Oak, Birmingham, are such as to warrant the resumption of normal financial support of the work of Fircroft College by her Department.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to his question on 14th February—[Vol. 944, col. 187]. As no formal proposals for new long-term residential courses of liberal adult education at Fircroft College have yet reached me, these are not matters on which I have formed a view.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what time she has set for the conclusion of consultations with local education authorities on the report of Local Authorities' Management Services and Computer Committee's report on school transport; and if she will make a statement.

No time limit has been set at this stage. The LAMSAC report is purely a technical study and we are now engaged in preparing new proposals for consultation. I share the hon. Member's desire to make progress as quickly as possible, but there must be adequate time for consideration and discussion by those concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to announce its recommendations on the composition of the Burnham Committee.

ACAS has not been invited, nor has it undertaken, to review the composition of the Burnham Committees.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the standard of attainment in schools.

There is always room to raise standards and this is what the Government, in partnership with the local education authorities and teachers, are seeking to do.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of young people between the ages of 16 and 18 years are in full-time education; and what were the corresponding figures in 1972 and 1967.

In England and Wales the proportion in January 1978 was about 30 per cent., if those under school leaving age are excluded. The corresponding percentages for 1972 and 1967 were 27 and 20 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she now expects to implement the Taylor Report on the governing bodies of schools.

My right hon. Friend accepts that there should be better representation of parents and teachers on school governing bodies, and there has been support for this from many of those we have consulted about the Taylor Report. However, differing opinions have been expressed about some of the committee's other recommendations and my right hon. Friend will wish to hold discussions with some of those concerned before coming to any conclusions on the report as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consideration she is giving to the provision of special units to which violent and ill-disciplined school children can be removed on the basis put forward by the National Association of School Masters and Union of Women Teachers.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate has recently undertaken a survey of special units for disruptive pupils. On the basis of this we hope to publish this summer a report which may be helpful to those authorities which have already set up units or are contemplating doing so.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the present system of dis- cretionary awards for students taking courses in the arts.

My right hon. Friend recognises that there is room for improvement in the present system and is considering what changes might be made as resources become available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what follow-up she proposes to the conference at York on comprehensive schools.

A report on the conference will be published in the summer. I hope that it will stimulate all those concerned with comprehensive schools to look afresh at the best practices that exist. The conference confirmed my belief that we must press on as quickly as possible with the elimination of selection for secondary education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will extend the two months she has given to local authorities who have not yet put comprehensive reorganisation proposals to her.

Six months has normally been allowed for the first submission of proposals. The time given for further proposals has varied according to particular circumstances. Requests for extensions are granted only in very exceptional cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what grounds she refused to accept the proposals to reorganise secondary schools in the London borough of Bromley on comprehensive lines so far as they affect St. Olave's School.

The local education authority of Bromley and the governors of St. Olave's Church of England (Voluntary Aided) School proposed that the school be enlarged from three to six forms of entry and that selection be eliminated by the mid-1980s. My right hon. Friend could see no justification for enlarging the school beyond its present capacity or for deferring the date of the elimination of selection beyond 1979, when the four other remaining grammar schools in the borough are due to become comprehensive.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she has yet had a reply from the Redbridge Council in response to her request for the transmission of a scheme for the full implementation of Section 2 of the Education Act 1976 in that borough.

The council's reply was received on 31st March and my right hon. Friend is now actively considering the use of her powers under the Education Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further action is proposed against the local education authorities who continue to have grammar schools available within their areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local education authorities have failed to implement the provisions of the Education Act 1976; and if she will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hillsborough (Mr. Flannery).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many primary schools have been closed in England and Wales in each of the last three years.

In 1977, the earliest year for which the information is available, 87 proposals to close primary schools in England were approved under Section 13 of the Education Act 1944, as amended. So far, 14 proposals have been approved this year. Matters relating to Wales are for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will now reduce to an upper limit of 21 years the age at which a full-time student in higher education is deemed to be financially dependent on parents for the purposes of grant assessment.

No. It would cost over £20 million, and this cannot be found from present resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Education when she next intends to meet the leaders of local education authorities.

I expect to meet the leaders of local education authorities within the next few weeks, though no date has yet been fixed.

asked the Secretary for Education and Science what are (a) the original and (b) the revised figures for the financial allocations being made available for 1978 bulding programmes in respect of the six largest metropolitan districts, and the metropolitan districts of the West Yorkshire Metropolitan County.

The 1978–79 school building programme planning allocations and final allocations respectively for the six largest metropolitan districts, and the three metropolitan districts of the West Yorkshire Metropolitan County not included in the six largest metropolitan districts, are as follows:

under the special programme to assist reorganisation (SPAR), as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she proposes to collect new national figures for truancy.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to collect these figures. At a meeting held in 1976 with representatives of the teachers and local authorities organisations it was agreed that such a survey was not of sufficient use to be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the number of children in each of the Rotheshaw, Barnsley and Doncaster education areas who suffer from speaking difficulties; and if she will make a statement on the action she is taking to supply an adequate number of specialist teachers in this field overall.

The following table gives for these local education authorities the number of children ascertained as being handicapped by speech defects, together with the number of children in other categories of main handicap who also have some degree of speech impairment.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans she has made to secure the maximum participation within England and Wales of activities concerned with the campaign to combat illiteracy on 8th September, as part of the worldwide International Literacy Day.

None, as I consider that the crucial need for literacy tuition both in schools and adult education is best promoted on a continuing basis through post-Bullock initiatives in our schools and the whole adult literacy campaign. The arrangements for Wales are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will take steps to encourage local educational authorities to increase remedial education in primary schools.

My right hon. Friend has already done so. The Government's calculations for the 1978–79 rate support grant settlement already provide for the employment for the nation as a whole of about 1,000 additional teachers to enable local education authorities to make particular improvements in staffing for pupils who need remedial education. My Department has also invited authorities to include in their report on their curricular arrangements an account of steps taken to help primary schools make appropriate provision for pupils making slow progress.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her latest estimate of the cost of subsidising school meals in the financial year ending 5th April 1979; and if she will make a statement.

The cost of subsidising the school meals service in 1978–79 is estimated to be £377 million at 1978 survey prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she is satisfied with the progress made towards provision for early retirement of teachers.

Financial provision is being arranged for teachers aged 50 or over, with at least five years' service, who are made redundant or are retired early in the interest of the efficient exercise of their employer's functions. Regulations have now been made to allow payment of accrued superannuation benefits to those teachers, and further regulations are being prepared to provide for enhancement of those benefits by the compensating authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement on the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on political education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her policy with regard to the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on political education in schools; and if she will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations she has received from Her Majesty's Inspectorate and trade unions concerning the desirability of making sytematic provision of education in citizenship and politics in secondary schools.

A recently published collection of working papers about the school curriculum for 11–16-year-olds prepared by Her Majesty's inspectors included one about education for political competence. I welcome the interest which this paper has aroused amongst both educators and others and I believe that the schools have an important contribution to make in equipping boys and girls to play their part as responsible citizens in a parliamentary democracy.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she is satisfied with the progress being made in the retraining of unemployed teachers to teach mathematics in secondary schools; and if she will make a statement.

Yes. Retraining courses in mathematics for qualified teachers, including those who have been unable to obtain teaching posts, recruited about 240 teachers in the current academic year. Together with the scheme of awards financed through the Manpower Services Commission, the Government's initiatives are likely to make available some 400 additional mathematics teachers this year. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Budget speech, these arrangements are to continue in 1978–79.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action she is taking to improve appointments procedures and training for head teachers.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Hove (Mr. Sainsbury) on 14th March 1978.—[Vol. 946. c. 131.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects to receive the response of local authorities to the Green Paper "Education in Schools", in relation to the manner of appointment of head teachers.

The Green Paper (Cmnd. 6869) invited authorities to consider their arrangements for securing the best possible appointments. It asked for no specific report, but my Department intends to discuss the matter with the authorities' associations and teachers' associations in the coming months.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects to receive the report from Committee B regarding the phasing of the correction of the anomaly in university teachers' salaries; and if she will make a statement.

The timing has not been decided. I have nothing to add at present to the reply given by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Shersby) on 23rd March.—[Vol. 946, c. 663–4.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent proposals she has received from the Schools Council about the public examination system.

The Schools Council has put to me proposals for a common system of examining at 16-plus, to replace the present Certificate of Secondary Education and General Certificate of Education O level examinations. The council has also proposed a new examination, the Certificate of Extended Education, for candidates taking one year courses in the sixth form. Both proposals are under consideration by committees appointed by me. The council is at present studying the possibility of replacing GCE A levels with a five-subject two-level examination system, but has not yet made any recommendations to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she now plans to amend the Education Act 1976.

I have no such plans.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations she has received concerning the state of religious education in schools.

Since 1st April 1977, my right hon. Friend has received representations from four bodies concerned with religious education and 31 individual letters.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the arrangements made by local education authorities for supporting gifted children who have to be educated outside their home education area.

I am satisfied that local education authorities have adequate powers to help exceptional children for whom suitable education cannot be provided within their own areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress she is making in her plans to make the Arts Council more democratic and representative of workers in the arts and entertainment.

In making appointments to the Council I continue to be guided by the need to make the Council an authoritative and effective instrument for Government support for the arts, and that it should reflect the interests both of artists and of the public, who are the paymasters and ultimate consumers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many qualified teachers were still unemployed at the commencement of the summer term 1978.

On 9th March 1978, in England and Wales, 8,852 qualified people were registered as unemployed by the Department of Employment and seeking jobs as school teahers. This compares with a figure of 10,513 in December last and represents about 2 per cent. of the teacher force in England and Wales. The Department of Employment's next count of unemployed teachers will be in June; the results will be available in July.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects to receive the report on the future of the social priority schools allowance scheme from the Burnham Primary and Secondary Committee.

It is for the Burnham Primary and Secondary Committee to make recommendations to my right hon. Friend when they wish.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she will introduce legislation to integrate the public schools into the comprehensive secondary system.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Enfield, North (Mr. Davies).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what percentage of the gross national product is spent on educational services of all kinds;(2) what percentage of the gross national product is spent on educational services of all kinds excluding universities.

In the financial year 1976–77, the latest year for which figures are available, United Kingdom current and capital expenditure from public funds on education, libraries, science and arts amounted to 7·4 per cent of the gross national product, at factor cost, or 6·7 per cent. excluding grants to universities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will specify the sum which forms part of the £823,000 grant in aid for purchases by local museums in Vote 16, Class X for 1978–79, but which derives from the £1 million set aside to assist with the preservation of the national heritage as a consequence of her announcement of 26th October 1977, and made available, revalued to £1£42 million, on 1st April 1978.

The English share of the £1 million—£840,000—was added to the total resources available for making acquisition grants. These resources have been revalued to take account of price rises. The division of the total resources, so revalued, has been made on the merits of each case and there is no ground for making hypothetical assumptions about the different components.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement of policy on the problem of falling school rolls.

It seems probable that the school population in England and Wales will fall from 9 million now to about 7 million in 1990. Our policies over this period must embody two guiding principles. The first is that there should be a planned contraction, through the closure of redundant school places, in the interests of educational efficiency as well as economy. My Department's circular 5/77 gave guidance on this subject to local education authorities. The second is that we should take advantage of the opportunity offered by the reduced school population to improve the quality of education. On both aspects I will be keeping in close touch with the representatives of the local authorities and the teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what account she is taking of the representations received since January in her consideration of the price of school meals.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport, North (Mr. Bennett).

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he is aware that Members of Parliament's salaries have been and are fully below the cost of living index figures, the average increases in wage levels and the average earnings; and whether he will now increase them by 10 per cent. or a minimum of 9·2 per cent.

I appreciate my hon. Friend's observations; however, under the 12-month rule, Members' salaries are not due to be reviewed until June.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate has been made of the total number of employees who will have to pay unnecessary extra national insurance contributions because of the lateness of their employer's application for a contracting-out certificate; and whether the Government propose to take any further steps to assist employees in such cases.

In order to benefit from the special arrangements enabling national insurance contributions to be paid provisionally at the contracted-out rate while the Occupational Pensions Board (OPB) process an application to contract out, an employer must have sent his application to the OPB by 23rd March 1978.It is not possible to say how many employees might be involved in applications sent in after 23rd March. I am advised by the OPB that it had received some 21,000 applications by 5th April 1978. The OPB does not have statistics of the number of these applications which were submitted by 23rd March but its estimate is that 2,000 or so might have been sent in after that date; the OPB emphasises, however, that this estimate could be too high. Those employers who applied after 23rd March and their employees are initially liable to pay national insurance contributions at the higher, not contracted-out rate. When the OPB issues the contracting-out certificates, they will normally be back-dated to 6th April 1978 where the application was for the certificate to be effective from that date. This will mean that the extra contributions may then be refunded. The OPB expects to cleat the vast majority of the applications by about the end of May.I have on proposals for further steps.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will introduce a new voluntary national insurance contribution class for United Kingdom citizens who spend part of their working life in a non-European Community country, but who are members of their United Kingdom employer's occupational pension scheme, and thus covered by the Pensions Act 1975.

We are already looking at the implications for these employees of the provisions of the Social Security Act 1975 and the Social Security Pensions Act 1975. It is clear, however, that there are considerable difficulties inherent in any arrangements of the sort suggested by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average remuneration paid to general practitioners by his Department in the counties of Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Durham; and how this figure compares with the national average.

The information available relates to gross remuneration, that is, net income plus reimbursement of National Health Service practice expenses. The estimated gross average remuneration per general medical practitioner in the three counties from NHS general medical services was £16,090 for 1976–77, the latest year for which figures are available. The corresponding estimated average in England was £16,150. These figures have been calculated from the expenditure returns of family practitioner committees and the numbers of all practitioners giving unrestricted services on 1st October 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the stillbirth and perinatal mortality rate per 1,000 live and stillbirths in England and Wales for 1976 and 1977;

The rates of stillbirth and early mortality in England and Wales are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has made of social security benefits paid out, during the latest 12 month period for which figures are available, in respect of supplementary benefit for unemployed persons who have just left school without ever having a job.

No precise estimate is possible on the available information.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will outline the pension entitlement for a person employed by a United Kingdom company but assigned to work in a non-European Economic Community country in a contracted-out pension scheme who pays Class I contributions for 52 weeks and Class III contributions thereafter, indicating the effect on the indexation of the guaranteed minimum pension during the payment of his pension.

Such a person, provided he continued to pay Class 3 contributions for the period abroad, would maintain his record for the purposes of the State scheme basic pension. Entitlement to the State Scheme additional pension would depend on earnings in those years after 6th April 1978, up to a maximum of 20, when Class 1 national insurance contributions were paid on earnings between the lower earnings limit and the upper earnings limit.Guaranteed minimum pension (GMP) entitlement would be based on contributions paid in contracted-out employment, again on earnings between the lower and upper earnings limits from 6th April 1978, and again including the first 52 weeks abroad if Class I contributions were paid for those weeks. The accrued GMP rights would be revalued to State pensionable age or death if earlier.No GMP or State scheme additional pension would accrue for the period during which Class 3 contributions are paid.After the State scheme additional pension is awarded, it is uprated each year before the GMP is deducted. Thus the additional pension might be lower than it would otherwise have been but for the periods abroad, but the GMP would be similarly affected resulting in a lower deduction.Moreover, for those who will not reach State pensionable age within the next 20 years, the "20 best years" provision might enable a full additional pension to be payable and subsequently uprated despite the gap caused by the period abroad. The GMP, however, would be lower as a result of the period abroad and a higher balance of additional pension might be payable after deduction of the GMP.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what circumstances a pupil of over 16 years of age, temporarily expelled from school for bad behaviour, is entitled to receive supplementary benefit during the period of his expulsion.

Such a pupil would be regarded as still attending school and supplementary benefit would not be paid. The only circumstances where the Supplementary Benefits Commission relaxes this general rule for schoolchildren are where the child is orphaned or estranged from his family, or has a family of his own to support, or is severely handicapped.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the additional charge to parents of toughened or laminated glass lenses for children with a visual disability.

The hospital and school eye service can supply toughened or laminated glass lenses free of charge when they are prescribed as clinically necessary. Under the general ophthalmic services they are available at an additional charge to the patient of £2·23 per lens for single vision lenses and £3·10 per lens for bifocal lenses.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy towards the standardisation of means tests both within and between local authorities; what representations he has received on local authority means tests; and if he will make a statement.

I have seen the papers prepared by the All Party Disablement Group and by the Supplementary Benefits Commission which raise, among other matters, the question of means testing.I have an overall interest in the level of charges made by local authorities for their personal social services, because of the implications for net public expenditure and particular services. In general, however, the responsibility for deciding whether or not to raise charges, the level of any charges and the assessment of an individual's ability to pay rests with the local authorities themselves. In reaching these decisions authorities must consider a wide range of local factors and account to their electorate for the revenues raised. There is, however, a statutory requirement to charge for accommodation under Part III of the National Assistance Act 1948 and, in assessing a person's ability to pay, to give effect to Part III of Schedule I of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1967.I am aware that certain anomalies in charging policies and means testing have arisen, due to local circumstances. These matters are at present being considered by an inter-departmental group and I will consider, in the light of its deliberations, if any guidance would be appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children were born following the use of a fertility drug in the last year for which figures are available; what were the perinatal and infant mortality rates for such births; what was the incidence of handicap in the surviving children; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that none of the information asked for by my hon. Friend is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ask the appropriate part of his Department to speed up its evaluation tests on equipment for severely handicapped people, so that such equipment can be made available at an early date; and if he will make a statement on such evaluations.

Only a small proportion of the total number of evaluations of such equipment is carried out directly by my Department. Such evaluations can by their nature be protracted but are carried forward as quickly as resources allow.I shall be very glad to look into any particular case about which my hon. Friend is concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the proposed rate of spending on the provision of services for the mentally handicapped over the next five years.

The planning guidelines in March to health authorities in England indicate a national average growth in expenditure on health and personal social services specifically for the mentally handicapped of 2·9 per cent. a year. These services will also benefit from the additional £50 million recently made available to the Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the funded establishment of nurses at Booth Hall Hospital, Manchester; what is the number of nurses required to be employed at the same hospital to bring staffing up to regional guide lines; and what were the actual number of nurses employed at that hospital on 30th March 1978.

302·7; 350; and 268·5 respectively (whole-time equivalents).

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the maximum amount a disabled married woman can qualify for in cash benefits which do not

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to keep statistics on the use of electro-convulsive therapy similar to those kept on psychosurgery.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Price), on 22nd November. My right hon. Friend has decided to collect statistics of electro-convulsive therapy treatments carried out in mental illness hospitals and units, and of the number of courses of treatment which these represent.—[Vol. 939, c. 667.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if there are any plans to introduce legislation to restrict psychosurgery;(2) if he plans in the forthcoming White Paper on the review of the Mental Health Act to define the proposed informed consent procedures to be applied before the administration of electro-convulsive therapy.

The Government's view of these issues will be set out in the forthcoming White Paper on the review of the Mental Health Act.

Disabled married women may receive up to £31·50 a week in non-contributory benefits at present compared with a maximum of £6·20 a week in February 1974. The relevant benefits which may be payable and the increases in the rates of these benefits to be made in November as announced by my right hon. Friend last week are listed below:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the purpose for the use of compulsory treatment given to patients under Section 25 of the Mental Health Act which refers to compulsory detention for observation.

I am advised that a patient detained in hospital under Section 25 of the Mental Health Act may be given, without his consent, only such treatment as is either reasonably required as an aid to observation—that is, for the purpose of diagnosis and the determination of the nature of any future care and treatment that may be appropriate, or is immediately necessary in the interests of the patient's own health or safety or with a view to the protection of other persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) since the recent form of keeping statistics on psychosurgery operations, how many such operations have been reported;(2) in which hospitals in the United Kingdom psychosurgery operations are currently performed;(3) what types of psychosurgery operations are most commonly used:

Health Notice (77)121, issued in August last year asked area health authorities in England to arrange for mental illness and mental handicap hospitals and units to make annual statistical returns to my Department on psychosurgery operations. The first complete set of returns will relate to 1978, but corresponding returns for 1977 were invited.353 hospitals have provided information for 1977. They report 32 psychosurgery operations performed at the following sixteen hospitals:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many disabled ex-Servicemen were deliberately misled by the improper withholding of their pensions; whether full arrears have now been paid to them, their widows or their legatees; in addition, what compensation and allowance for legal fees is to be made; what disciplinary or other action is intended to be taken against those officials responsible; and what steps he is taking to ensure that this does not happen again.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many vehicles being the responsibility of the Post Office were involved in road accidents in each of the last five years.

This is a matter for the Post Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what discussions he has had with the Post Office and the Post Office Engineering Union on the subject of the industrial action that since November 1977 has prevented large numbers of people from being connected to the telephone system; why he personally intervened to prevent the Post Office taking disciplinary action against those who are refusing to do their job, thereby depriving the public of telephone service; and if he will make a statement on the prospects for a settlement of this dispute.

The Post Office and the Post Office Engineering Union have kept my right hon. Friend fully informed of developments. My right hon. Friend has met representatives of the union and the chairman and members of the Post Office Board. He is now considering whether there is anything he can do to help.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish details of the boards, commissions, committees or other types of organisations established by his Department since October 1974, giving in each case the purpose of the organisation, the chairman's and members' salaries and expenses, and the total cost of the organisation for each year since 1974.

The information so far as it is available is shown below. Bodies which were both established and wound up since 1974, or which have not met during the last two years, have not been included.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he expects to be able to announce the availability of funds for the footwear industry under the assistance scheme proposed by the Footwear Study Group.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is now able to announce the Government's response to the footwear industry's request for financial assistance.

I am pleased to be able to announce the introduction from today of a scheme of financial assistance for the footwear manufacturing industry under Section 8 of the Industry Act 1972. The scheme has an initial allocation of £4·5 million and seeks to encourage:

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether any European Economic Community directive or regulation restricts to a maximum of 12½ per cent. on plant any grant under Section 8 of the Industry Act 1972 to the United Kingdom textile industry; whether Her Majesty's Government have imposed any such limit of their own volition; and whether he is satisfied that the Republic of Ireland is not allowed by the European Economic Community to adopt measures to assist its textile industry which are forbidden in Great Britain.

The EEC Commission recognises the special problem of the Irish Republic but I am not aware of any such restriction, or of such measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what progress has been made in discussions with other EEC member Governments on the allocation and administration of the European Regional Development Fund for the period 1978–80, including provision of funds outside the national quota arrangement.

I have nothing to add at present to the answer given to the hon. Member on 10th April—[c. 964–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade by what proportion he expects the total value of British exports to Zambia and the total cost of British imports from Zambia to grow over the next five years in comparison with the last five years.

Since it is not possible to predict future movements in the present depressed world price of copper, which is the mainstay of the Zambian economy and our principal import from Zambia, there is no real basis for speculating on the growth of United Kingdom/Zambia trade over the next five years.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will make a statement on the results of the recent Commonwealth meeting on the Common Fund and on the position Her Majesty's Government adopted at that meeting.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th April 1978], gave the following information:A Commonwealth meeting on the Common Fund was held at ministerial level in London on 13th–14th April. Thirty-two Commonwealth countries were represented.This was a useful meeting, which I believe all participants regarded as a success. I particularly welcomed the opportunity to outline the positive nature of our own approach to the Common Fund negotiations. There was full exchange of views on all major aspects of the fund. Ministers sought to identify, without prejudice to national positions, elements of an approach which could contribute constructively to the wider international consultations now in progress on the prospects for a resumption of negotiations in UNCTAD.I am placing in the Library of the House a copy of the statement that I made at the meeting. Following is the text of the communique issued at the end of the meeting:Commonwealth Ministerial Meeting on the Common FundMarlborough House, London13–14 April 1978

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th April.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for Tuesday 18th April 1978.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th April.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th April.

asked the Prime Minister what are his official engagements for 18th April.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th April.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th April.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th April.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th April.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th April.