asked the Secretary of State for Energy, on the basis of current prices, if he will compare the prices obtained for a given quantity of North Sea crude oil exported and the market value of petroleum products obtained from a similar quantity of crude.

The prices obtained from exports of North Sea crude oils, and the realisations gained from refining crude oils and selling their preducts, vary widely, depending upon the particular crudes and markets concerned and also the refining configurations and locations involved. Generalised comparisons between crude prices and product realisations are, therefore, difficult. An estimate published recently relates to a typical refiner in the Rotterdam market area refining "an extra barrel" of a representative light, low-sulphur North Sea crude during March. This estimate indicates that the export price of the crude would exceed the value of the products yield, less the cost of the raw materials used in the refining process, by some 5 to 20 cents per barrel.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what approach and initiatives he has made to secure new overseas markets for British coal; and if he will list these indicating the price and volume of coal involved.

The export of coal is a matter for the National Coal Board and the coal trade, but I am giving them all the help and encouragement I can within the Community institutions and otherwise.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will state how much has been spent in each of the last seven years under the English Language Book Society Scheme; and how many copies of books have been printed so far under this scheme.

Expenditure by me Department was as follows:

1971–72	£318,000
1972–73	£372,399
1973–74	£454,732
1974–75	£754,455
1975–76	£1,053,585
1976–77	£942,730
1977–78	£1,177,356

The 20-millionth book produced under this scheme was presented to the Indian Government on 15th February this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement in the matter of expected redundancies at the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment at Portland.

As a result of staff reductions and restructuring to meet its changing role, the AUW Establishment expects that a small number of professional and technology officers will become surplus to its requirements over the next one or two years. We expect to redeploy all the staff concerned within the Ministry of Defence and therefore no question of redundancies should arise. There has been full consultation on these matters through the local Whitley machinery.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made developing German language coaching for the Services; and if he will make a statement.

We fully recognise the need for a more widespread knowledge of the German language within the Services. To this end, various steps have been or are about to be taken, including the following:(1) Early in 1977 two additional instructors were authorised for RAF Germany's Language Training Centre at Rheindahlen. In addition, a new language laboratory is being built there which will increase the capacity by two-thirds. Work on this is expected to be completed by June 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he can give his estimate of the number of jobs provided in the construction of Type 21 frigate.

The construction of a Type 21 frigate for the Royal Navy provides an estimated 200 jobs in the shipyard initially, rising to a peak of over 600 and averaging some 400 jobs a year over the build period. At least as many jobs are provided by sub-contractors. These estimates are very approximate as the precise number depends in each case on various factors, including the amount of other work in hand.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the number of jobs and job opportunities which have been lost in defence establishments and defence-based industries as a result of the Government's reduction in defence expenditure since taking office.

About 28,500 jobs at home and overseas for civilians directly employed by the Ministry of Defence, and some 95,000 job opportunities in the defence industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children are currently receiving a grammar school education in (a) Cheshire and (b) England and Wales.

In January 1977, the latest year for which information is available, 256,040 pupils attended maintained grammar schools and 118,105 pupils attended direct grant grammar schools in England and Wales. The corresponding figures for Cheshire are 12,786 and 1,136, respectively. More recent information available for Cheshire indicates that the number of pupils attending maintained grammar schools in Cheshire fell to 9,962 in September 1977. With the implementation of approvad reorganisation schemes, there should be no pupils attending maintained grammar schools in Cheshire by September 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children took, and passed, the 11-plus examination during February-March 1978.

This information is not collected by my Department, but over 80 per cent. of pupils in maintained secondary schools are now in comprehensive schools and the Government are committed to bringing about a complete end to selection at 11-plus in those authorities where it still takes place.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths caused by lung cancer occurred in each of the last 10 years; and how many were men and how many women.

The figures are given in the table below:

DEATHS FROM MALIGNANT NEOPLASM OF TRACHEA, BRONCHUS AND LUNG, SCOTLAND, 1968–1977
Year	Both sexes	Males	Females
1968	3,197	2,638	559
1969	3,277	2,722	555
1970	3,443	2,815	628
1971	3,416	2,773	643
1972	3,573	2,862	711
1973	3,637	2,933	704
1974	3,740	2,933	807
1975	3,650	2,915	735
1976	3,817	3,011	806
1977	3,696	2,806	890

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the rates of interest charged by Scottish new towns on mortgages to house buyers, comparing this to commercial building society rates in each year over the past five years; and give figures to show the actual differences in payment between an average house purchase (a) made at commercial rates and (b) made through new town development corporation borrowing.

In general, the house mortgage interest rate charged by Scottish new towns has over the years 1973 to 1977 been ¼ per cent. more than the rate recommended from time to time by the Building Societies Asssociation. In recent years, Irvine and Livingston were obliged by the rising cost of their borrowing to charge a higher rate-12 per cent. in 1976 and 13 per cent. in 1977 in the case of Irvine, and 11¾ per cent. in 1977 in the case of Livingston—but have now been authorised to revert to the BSA rate plus a per cent. The effect of this per cent. difference in interest rates is to add £19·30 to the annual payments, on an annuity basis, on a 20-year loan from a corporation of £10,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many mortgages were issued by Scottish new towns in each of the past five years.

The information is as follows:—

1973	986
1974	544
1975	377
1976	228
1977	249

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what information he has on the current level of theatre seat prices as a proportion of the average wage as compared with 10 years ago.

This information is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the increased cost of the Manpower Services Commission's new fares-to-work scheme for disabled workers.

I would refer the right hon Member to the reply I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) on 12th April 1978, in which I said that it is estimated that the cost of the new scheme could be almost £230,000 in 1978–79, rising to about £400,000 in 1980–81. This compares with a cost of about £75,000 under the old scheme in 1977–78.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average occupational death rate in industry for each of the years since 1970; and what this is expressed as a proportion of the labour force.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 20th April 1978], gave the following information:The Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that the information is not available in the precise form required. Accidents are still reported to the Health and Safety Executive under legislation passed before the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act came into force, and the following tables show the number and incidence—per 100,000 employees at risk-of fatalities resulting from accidental

TABLE 1
Sector
	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976
1. Factories Act:
Manufacturing industry	278	251	214	236	254	196	175
Construction industry	204	201	190	231	166	182	156
Other industries	74	73	64	82	59	49	51
Total Factories Act	556	525	468	549	479	427	382
2. Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act	32	35	15	15	20	16	20
3. Explosives Act	10	6	6	9	3	7	6
4. Regulation of Railways and Railway Employment (Prevention of Accidents) Acts*	67	60	48	42	38	46	46
5. Mines and Quarries Act:
Coal mines	91	72	64	80	48	64	50
Mines of stratified ironstone, oil shale or fireclay	1	1	—	—	—	—	—
Miscellaneous mines	5	6	7	8	2	2	8
Quarries†	27	18	15	14	16	15	16
Total Mines and Quarries Act	124	97	86	102	66	81	74
6. Agriculture (Safety, Health and Welfare Provisions) Act	na	53	45	46	33	34	41
Total of sectors covered by HSC	na	776	668	763	639	611	569
Sources:
Sectors 1–3, 5 Health and Safety Executive.
Sector 4 Department of Transport.
Sector 6 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland.
na Not available for employees alone.
* Accidents to staff employed by British Rail, London Transport and Freightliners Ltd.
† Including opencast coal sites.

TABLE 2
Sector	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976
1. Factories Act:
Manufacturing industry	4·3	3·9	4·2	4·5	3·7	3·4
Construction industry	19·6	18·7	21·6	16·0	17·7	15·7
2. Regulation of Railways and Railway Employment (Prevention of Accidents) Acts*	24·1	19·7	18·3	14·8	18·7	18·8
3. Mines and Quarries Act:
Coal mines	24·2	22·1	29·6	18·7	24·7	19·6
Quarries†	47·4	40·7	29·0	31·2	29·6	32·8‡
4. Agriculture (Safety, Health and Welfare Provisions) Act	na	na	14·7	10·9	11·7	14·1
Sources:
Sector 1 Health and Safety Executive.
Sector 2 Department of Transport.
Sector 3 Business Statistics Office; Health and Safety Executive.
Sector 4 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland.
na Not available.
* Accidents to staff engaged in the operation of British Railways, London Transport and Freightliners Ltd. only are included in the rates.
† Including opencast coal sites.
‡ Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions the Factory Inspectorate took action to remedy apparent deficiencies in the observing of health and safety legislation on Canvey Island which have come

Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate has continued to carry out its normal inspection programme of those premises in the scheduled area of the Canvey Island investigation started in April 1976, and matters of noncompliance with Health and Safety legislation have been dealt with whether they came to light as result of this normal inspection or as a result of the investigation itself. It is not possible to separate or categorise these matters into those resulting from the investigation and those resulting from the Inspectorate's normal work. They have included items connected with gas, chemical and oil installations and, indeed, connected with the full range of premises in which the Factory Inspectorate has enforcement duties, and the standards required have been those enforced nationally by the Inspectorate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment by how much employment in the North West Region exceeds the national average in the most recent months for which figures are available.

The following table gives seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for the North West Region and Great Britain since January 1978.

	North West Region	Great Britain
	(per cent.)	(per cent.)
January 1978	7·0	5·8
February 1978	7·1	5·8
March 1978	7·0	5·7

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when the Government lifted the embargo on the sale of freehold industrial land by local authorities by allowing sales of up to 1·23 acres;(2) what has been the response in take up from local authorities since the embargo on the sale of certain freehold industrial land was eased.

A letter was sent to local authorities last December giving them discretion as to the terms of disposal of small sites that are not significant in terms of the community land scheme—up to 0·5 hectares in area and £25,000 in value. As this revision removed the need for authorities to approach the Department in such cases, there is no central record of take-up. But there has been a substantial reduction in the number of applications to the Department for special consent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in the interests of assisting local authorities to stimulate jobs, especially in areas of high unemployment, if he will consider allowing the sale of freehold industrial land by local authorities up to five acres; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have already introduce a wide range of measures to stimulate job creation, especially in areas of high unemployment, and I do not believe that land tenure is a crucial factor in investment decisions. Retention by local authorities of the freehold of industrial and commercial land is an important element of the community land scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is his intention to bring forward legislation to allow local authorities to waive rateable value limits for improvement grants where applicants or their family members are disabled.

As soon as an appropriate opportunity arises, local authorities will be given discretion, in hardship cases, to waive the present rateable value limits in cases where improvements or adaptations are required in order to make dwellings suitable for disabled occupants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the total number of houses in (a) the county of Northumberland, (b) Wansbeck district council area, and (c) Castle Morpeth borough council area;(2) what is the number of houses classified as unfit in (

Available information is as follows:

Estimated Stock of Dwellings, December 1977

Northumberland, Wansbeck and Castle Morpeth

Northumberalnd	114,000
Wansbeck	24,000
Castle Morpeth	17,000

Statistics on the physical condition of dwellings in individual authorities are not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he proposes to take any action for reforming the regulations governing building control along the lines of the Savidge plan.

Yes; we already have taken some action along these lines and will be considering what else can be done without affecting the legal standing and enforceability of the regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will consider amending Section 67(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 to enable local authorities to consider planning applications for new industrial premises simultaneously with the Department of Industry's consideration of an application for an industrial development certificate.

No. I have no evidence that such a change in the legislation would speed up the consideration of planning applications. In practice, informal discussions directed towards obtaining an industrial development certificate and planning permission proceed simultaneously.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement in response to the recommendation of the Paper and Board Sector Working Party concerning the need to increase waste paper collection by local authorities and the effect of current financial limitations on the expansion of such facilities.

The Government share the sector working party's concern about the fall in local authority collections of waste paper, and the Department will be inviting representatives of the paper industry and local authorities to a seminar to discuss the major difficulties and consider how far they may be capable of solution. Although I should not wish to anticipate the results, I think it unlikely that restrictions on capital expenditure are a decisive factor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average domestic rate increase, respectively, in inner London boroughs and outer London boroughs; what is the highest domestic rate increase in inner London and outer London; and which are the boroughs involved.

Returns are still awaited from Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Hounslow and Newham. On the basis of the returns so far received, average domestic rate increases in 1978–79 in inner London and outer London boroughs will be 7·21 per cent and 2·06 per cent. respectively. The largest increase notified for inner London was 20·03 per cent.—Wandsworth—and for outer London 10·98 per cent.—Hillingdon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the percentage increase in the combined charges for water, sewerage and environmental services levied by the Thames Water Authority for the last half-year compared with the previous half-year; and why such increases have been permitted above the Government's guidelines.

Under the Water Act 1973, it is for each water authority to set its charges at the levels required to meet its statutory obligations and to justify those charges to its consumers. Such charges are set one year at a time, and it is therefore necessary to compare one full year with another. The position is further complicated in the Thames Water Authority area by changes in methods of charging, including the introduction of a two-part tariff, so that it is not possible to make direct comparisons for the bills of individual water users between 1977–78 and 1978–79.The authority originally proposed to set its charges at a level which would produce an overall increase in revenue of about 9·5 per cent. over 1977–78. These proposals are now under investigation by the Price Commission and the increases in charges actually implemented, which will produce an increase in revenue of about 7 per cent., are in accordance with the Prices and Charges (Safeguards for Basic Profits) Regulation 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether Property Services Agency Supplies has yet reported on the result of its first year's operation as a trading fund.

I have arranged for a copy of PSA Supplies' annual report and accounts for 1976–77 to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has made available to the Ordnance Survey Review Committee the Janes Report on the Ordnance Survey.

The Janes Committee's Report has been made available to the

Description	Location	Cost
1. Clean-up schemes	All BAN districts	£430,000
2. Renovation and redecoration of schools, youth clubs and libraries	All BAN districts	£250,000

The major projects which are currently being undertaken are as follows:
Description	Location	Cost
1. Neighbourhood Business Unit	Boundary Street, Lower Shankill	£250,000
2. Neighbourhood Business Unit	Townsend Street, Lower Falls	£250,000
3. Further clean-up schemes	All BAN districts	£250,000
4. Further renovation and redecoration of schools, youth clubs and libraries	All BAN districts	£865,000
5. Replacement building for pre-school playgroup, mother and toddler club and toy library	Moyard Park, Springfield Road	£25,500
6. Day centre for the elderly	Newington Avenue, Antrim Road	£50,000
7. Salvation Army Goodwill Centre	Fraser Pass, Newtownards Road	£130,000

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will state the description, location and estimated cost of each project under construction in Belfast which is being financed under the Belfast areas of need fund to date;(2) if he will state the description, location and cost of each project completed under the Belfast areas of need programe in Belfast to date.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 22nd March 1978; Vol. 946, col. 633], gave the following information:There is no separate Belfast areas of need fund. Projects which have been completed and those now being undertaken as part of the BAN programme are financed either from existing funds allocated to BAN by individual Northern Ireland Government Departments or from additional funds provided in special construction industry aid packages.While the majority of projects in the BAN programme are still at various stages of planning, those which have been completed are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he intends to make provisions for legislation along the lines of the Protection of Children Bill for Northern Ireland.

Yes. It is my intention that the law in Northern Ireland should provide equal protection for the children of Northern Ireland and that it should also provide no less assistance to the police than does the law in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will estimate the percentage decrease in the level of insurance premiums which would result if the recommendations of the Pearson Commission were adopted in full.

I regret that I am unable at this time to make such an estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what was the original estimate of the cost of moving the companies registration departments to Cardiff and of microfilming company files; and what is the most recent estimate of the final cost;(2) what is the average waiting time at Companies House for the production of microfilm copies of company files;(3) what proportion of microfilm copies of files retained by the Registrar of Companies contains pages labelled Indistinct Original; what proportion of pages in such copies as a whole is so marked; and what proposals he has for ensuring that all papers submitted for inclusion in the files are legible, and are microfilmed so as to maintain the legibility of the copies.

It was estimated in 1976 that the total cost of transferring the Companies Registration Office from London to Cardiff and of the initial microfilming of company files would be approximately £7·5 million, of which £6 million represented capital expenditure already incurred on buildings and equipment. The estimate of £1·5 million for other costs, relating to filming and additional staff required during the dispersal programme, has been exceeded by approximately £250,000, but this additional cost has been offset by a temporary reduction in staffing elsewhere in the office during the financial year 1977–78.The average waiting time in the London search room of Companies Registration Office, for the production of microfilm copies of company files, is currently just over one hour. The actual times achieved on a recent day varied between 20 minutes and two hours, depending upon the volume of search requests being dealt with at the time. The average waiting period in the Cardiff search room, however, is 30 minutes, except when the master library record is being updated.No records have been maintained to show the number of documents contained in the microfilm record which have been marked "indistinct original", and it would not be possible to obtain this information without inordinate cost. In general, however, experience has shown that such marking is necessary only in respect of accounts delivered to the Registrar by some companies in carbon copy form. The introduction later this year, subject to the approval of Parliament, regulations under Section 35 of the Companies Act 1976, which will have the effect of rendering such companies liable to a default penalty if the quality of the document is not improved, should reduce this problem. At the present time, however, the number of complaints of illegibility received from members of the public amounts to 0·05 per cent. of microfiche supplied or 0·22 per cent. of companies searched.The initial filming programme which was necessary for the creation of a microfiche record of company files has now been completed, and from 8th May all searches will take place normally on microfiche. The Registrar will therefore now be able to devote increased resources to increasing the efficiency of the system.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement concerning the Government's attitude towards the recommendations of the Paper and Board Sector Working Party on duty free quotas for such products.

The Government fully understand the industry's concern, but when fixing annual duty-free quotas for imports of paper and board from EFTA suppliers they have to take into account not only the producer interest but also those of the users and wider comercial relations considerations. Increases in recent years have been minimal.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what action he proposes to take in the EEC Council of Ministers in response to the recommendation of the Paper and Board Sector Working Party concerning the need to maintain a reasonable ratio between the price of pulp and that of paper.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what reactions he has had from industry and commerce to his statement on 1st March 1978 on the Channel Tunnel (Official Report, column 219–20); and what policy he put forward in the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers in connection with the Assembly's recommendation of several transport projects, including the Channel Tunnel.

I have received one letter expressing views favouring resumption of the Channel Tunnel project. As to the recommendation of the Assembly of the Council of Europe, I have nothing to add to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Derby, North (Mr. Whitehead) on 1st March 1978,—[Vol. 945, c. 219–20.]

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of the present staff at the Vehicle Licensing Centre, Swansea, who are employed answering queries arising from computer, clerical or other errors in the issue and registration of licences.

I have made no such estimate. About 8 per cent. of the Centre's staff are directly engaged in dealing with inquiries of all kinds from the public, but only a proportion of such inquiries are complaints, or result from errors made.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total present capital cost of the installation and buildings at Swansea; and what further annual capital allocations are likely to be required in 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, should there be no change in the present procedure.

The capital cost to date of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre is £18 million—£10·7 million for buildings, £7·3 million for computer equipment, etc. The capital sums likely to be required in 1978–79, 1979–80 and 1980–81 are: £0·4 million—£0·1 million for building work, £0·3 million for equipment; £1·6 million—£0·3 million for building work, £1·3 million for equipment; and £1 million—£0·3 million for building work, £0·7 million for equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made any estimate of the effect on employment of a change in the present vehicle licensing procedure from an annual licence to an additional petrol duty basis.

I have made no recent estimate, but clearly if this change and no other were made fewer staff would be required both at the Swansea Licensing Centre and in local vehicle licensing offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the arrangements for withdrawing driving licences from those who become physically incapable of driving before the age of 70.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied that driving licences should be issued until the holder reaches age 70; what check is proposed that the holder remains physically capable of driving; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Till-70 licences are granted only when it is safe to do so. When drivers' future fitness is in doubt, they receive licences lasting one, two or three years, as appropriate, so that their progress can be reviewed regularly. Every licence holder is required by law to report forthwith the onset or worsening of any disability which is likely either now or in the future to render him unsafe as a driver.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will have discussions with representatives of the insurance companies to ensure a flow of information on the physical capacity of a person to drive a motor vehicle.

No. The law already imposes on insurers a duty to provide us with particulars of persons to whom they refuse, on medical grounds, a third party motor vehicle insurance policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department has medical facilities to check the ability of a person to continue to drive a vehicle.

Yes. Where there is doubt about a driver's physical fitness to drive, the professional staff of the medical advisory branch at Swansea are able to consult his doctor(s) before making a recommendation. Where necessary, a driver can be required to have a medical examination by a nominated doctor and/or to take a driving test.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out his estimates for 1978–79 of the figures displayed on account of 1974–75 in table 4 of the publication "Inland Revenue Statistics 1977".

I regret that estimates for 1978–79 on this basis are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if self-catering developments, such as chalets, where communal catering facilities are available on-site, will qualify for industrial building allowances, so as to enable them to be as attractive an investment prospect as would be static caravans.

The capital allowances on the cost of construction of new hotels proposed in my rt. hon. Friend's Budget Statement—Official Report, 11th April 1978—will not apply to self-catering establishments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has discussed with his colleagues in the Council of Ministers of the European Community the Commission's proposal for a directive concerning mutual assistance by the competent authorities of the member States in the field of direct taxation.

The proposed directive was considered by the Council of Ministers and adopted on 19th December 1977.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to seek to deal with companies making use of tax havens by denying such companies the right to open new establishments in the United Kingdom or by abolishing taxation at source on securities for all investors other than those who give a tax haven as their place of business.

No. These measures would add nothing of any effective use to existing anti-avoidance legislation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the revised arrangements concerning taxation of widows' dependency allowances, he will publish a special leaflet explaining to widows the method by which the new tax codes are calculated.

The special £80 exemption for 1978–79 of child dependency allowances received by widows, and certain others, was explained in the leaflet P3(CB), paragraph 6, which was issued to widows with children with their 1978–79 coding notices.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications to deregister from VAT, received from individuals or firms whose turnover was between £5,000 and £7,500, were refused in the financial year to 5th April 1978; and if he will give a summary of the reasons.

It is not known how many applications for deregistration were refused in the financial year to April 1978. Deregistration can be refused only if an applicant fails to comply with the legal requirements.Schedule 1 to the Finance Act 1972 allows deregistration

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications to deregister from VAT, received from individuals or firms whose turnover was between £5,000 and £7,500, have not yet been processed; and what is the principal cause of delay.

It is not known how many applications for deregistration are at present being processed. There is normally little delay in dealing with applications which meet the prescribed taxable turnover conditions. If the hon. Member is aware of any case of delay and will write to me, I shall have the matter investigated.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the yield to the Exchequer in a full year from unification of the rate of value added tax at 10 per cent.

About £700 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement explaining the Government's attitude towards the recommendation of the Paper and Board Sector Working Party concerning the need to recognise in the taxation system the cyclic and capital-intensive nature of the industry and the effect of these factors on its profits.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he remains satisfied with the practice of his Department in replying to the husband of a married woman who has written on her personal tax matters rather than to the woman.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it remains the practice of the Inland Revenue to pay a tax rebate due under a married woman's tax payments to her husband; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review his his Department's treatment of women in tax matters in order to bring it fully into accord with equal opportunities legislation.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek to allow a married woman to claim tax relief on a life assurance policy taken out on her own life, and with premiums paid from her own resources.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he expects to be the cost to the Revenue of the concessions announced in the Budget speech in relation to capital gains tax, both in 1978–79, and subsequent years.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons have received the notice from the Inland Revenue indicating that the amount of tax deducted from their public service pension payments after 5th April will be increased even although their personal circumstances have not changed; and why these increased deductions are being made in light of his Budget Statement.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the serious loss of real income and capital value experienced by elderly persons who purchased War Loan before 1930, if he has given consideration to compensating such long-term holders of the stock.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue cost, additional to the cost of proposals already made in the Budget, of applying investment income sucharge at a flat rate of 10 per cent. to investment income exceeding £2,000 for those below retirement age and £3,000 for those over retirement age.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue cost, additional to the cost of proposals already made in the Budget, of applying investment income surcharge at a flat rate of 10 per cent. on investment income in excess of: (a) £4,000, (b) £6,000 and (c) £8,000, with a nil rate below those figures.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing, for each year since the introduction of the contingency reserve, the proportion of that reserve that has been allocated to specific programmes as a result of measures announced in his Budget Statement.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the Written Answer to the hon. Member for Blaby on 20th March, how many firms are now being subjected to economic sanctions for having negotiated pay settlements above the 10 per cent. limit.

Twenty-four.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue cost of cutting the basic rate of income tax from 34 per cent. to 33 per cent. leaving the proposed reduced rate band unaltered.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue cost, additional to the cost of proposals made in the Budget, of instituting a scale of income tax at the upper rates in which taxable income between £8,000 and £10,000 was taxed at 40 per cent., between £10,000 and £14,000 at 50 per cent., between £14,000 and £21,000 at 60 per cent and over £21,000 at 70 per cent.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much Government expenditure in the North West Region exceeds, or is less than, that of the national average in respect of each of the main Departments of Government.

I regret that comprehensive information is not held centrally.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the figures published in the Written Answer to the hon. Member for Blaby on 6th April represented the percentage changes on the trade-weighted external values of various currencies since end-February 1974, or since end-1974; and if he will publish a similar table showing the percentage changes between end-February 1974 and the latest available date.

The information in my Written Answer of 6th April to the hon. Member represented the percentage changes in the average rates in March 1977 from the rates at end-February 1974 not, as was stated in the answer, end-1974. I apologise for the error.The percentage changes between end-February 1974 and 18th April 1978 were as follows:

Switzerland	+50
Japan	+28
Austria	+25
Germany	+23
Netherlands	+16
Belgium	+ 12
Denmark	+7
Norway	-2
France	-3
Sweden	-4
Canada	-13
United Kingdom	-27
Italy	-23

Effective exchange rates for other OECD countries are not calculated. But the exchange rates of most of these countries have depreciated substantially against the major currencies listed above. It is thus likely that, if effective rates were available, these countries would appear at or near the bottom of the table.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his recent discussions with the trade unions concerned, relating to the requirement on bakery employees to work a 12-hour shift for six shifts a week, instead of eight hours at a time, when Spillers French bakeries are making workers redundant; and what steps he will take to intervene.

I understand that the question of shifts and working hours is currently under discussion between representatives of the employers and trade unions. This is a matter for negotiation between them, but I have made clear to the employers the importance which the Government attach to saving as many jobs as possible by extending the arrangements for a five-day week.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give an assurance that no amendment will be made to the Licensing of Food Regulations 1970 which will make it impossible for consumers to identify the origin of foods from countries such as South Africa and Chile; and if he will make a statement.

I assure my hon. Friend that I have no intention of amending the Labelling of Food Regulations 1970 in such a way that consumers would be unable to identify food coming from countries such as South Africa and Chile.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the National Farmers' Union about social security contributions on behalf of casual workers in the fruit harvesting areas of England and Wales.

Representatives of the National Farmers' Union discussed this matter yesterday with my officials and those of other Departments involved. The NFU representatives expressed the concern felt by some growers that rumoured changes in the arrangements for collecting income tax and social security payments might be impossible to implement when workers, sometimes in large numbers, were employed for short periods on a very casual basis. Officials explained that there was no change in the arrangements which had been agreed for such situations, and offered to look into any individual cases of unexpected difficulty. It was agreed that the NFU, in collaboration with the Departments concerned, would send a circular to its members about existing arrangements and recommended any grower doubtful about his position to consult his local tax or social security office in advance.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much would be added to the cost of production of a bacon pig, a gallon of milk, and a dozen hen eggs if the price of barley were to be increased by £9·50 per tonne, under winter conditions.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th April 1978], gave the following revised information:The effects on production costs would depend on a number of factors, but at current levels of efficiency, assuming no change in the proportion of barley used in the feed rations, proportionate changes in prices of other cereals and cereal byproducts but constant prices for non-cereal ingredients, the average increase in production costs for pigs and poultry is estimated to be equivalent to about £2·60 for a bacon pig, and 1·4p per dozen eggs; the additional estimated cost of producing a gallon of milk under winter feeding conditions would be about 1–6p per gallon.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to seek parliamentary approval for the right to practise of male midwives.

In the Sex Discrimination Act 1975—Schedule 4 paragraph 3—the Secretary of State was given the power during a transitional period to approve centres where men could be trained and employed as midwives. Two centres have been approved. This is intended to enable the Government to gauge the demand and obtain evidence on the practical problems of training and subsequent employment of male midwives.The first two pupil male midwives are now completing training. When I have evidence on male midwifery practice as well as training, I shall bring the matter back to the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of children was immunised against poliomyelitis at the latest available date.

I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my reply to his Question on 8th March and also to my hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Bedfordshire, South (Mr. Model) on 7th February—[Vol. 945, c.705–6; Vol. 943, c.527.] No later information is available at present, but I will circulate it in the Official Report when returns for 1977 have been received from area health authorities later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his Department's estimate of the cost of extending the long term rate of supplementary benefit to the long-term unemployed.

About £24 million in 1978–79, on the assumption that it was paid on the same basis as for other claimants under pension age.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of infants born with congenital malformation resulting from rubella infection during pregnancy for each year from 1967 to 1977 inclusive.

I am seeking up-to-date information and will circulate it in the Official Report as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the numbers of abortions and illegitimate

		Age
		Under 16	16	17	18	19	Total Under 20
			Legal Abortions to Residents of England and Wales
1968 (from 27th April)		543	559	693	945	1,088	3,828
1969	…	1,174	1,445	1,816	2,255	2,543	9,233
1970	…	1,732	2,530	3,188	3,864	3,936	15,250
1971	…	2,296	3,465	4,426	5,193	5,092	20,472
1972	…	2,804	4,318	5,395	6,038	6,035	24,590
1973	…	3,090	5,082	5,775	6,374	6,249	26,570
1974	…	3,335	5,348	6,225	6,564	6,060	27,532
1975	…	3,570	5,411	6,394	6,389	5,928	27,692
1976	…	3,425	5,429	6,285	6,282	5,967	27,388
1977*	…	3,592	24,371				27,963

Illegitimate, Live and Still Births
		Resident and Non-resident						Under 20b Resident only
1967	…	1,241	2,677	4,817	6,340	6,940	22,015	N/a
1968	…	1,321	2,818	4,999	6,267	6,757	22,162	N/a
1969	…	1,489	2,877	4,956	6,151	6,498	21,971	N/a
1970	…	1,430	2,895	4,972	5,933	5,971	21,201	N/a
1971	…	1,546	2,978	5,387	6,015	5,978	21,904	N/a
1972	…	1,615	3,317	5,357	5,981	5,764	22,034	21,991
1973	…	1,703	3,266	5,019	5,680	5,353	21,021	20,978
1974	…	1,585	3,189	5,346	5,706	5,343	21,169	21,119
1975	…	1,536	3,024	5,196	5,731	5,251	20,738	20,694
1976	…	1,425	2,846	4,945	5,696	5,161	20,073	20,046
1977		Not yet available
* Provisional.
† Not available by single ages.
N/a Not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the birth rate and the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged between 15 to 44 years in England and Wales for the years 1976 and 1977.

The information is as follows:

	Per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44
	1976	1977*
Abortions to women usually resident in England and Wales	10·6	10·5
Live births	60·9	58·7
Still births	0·6	0·6
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the total number of notified abortions per 100 live births for each of the 15 regional

The following information relates to events in England and Wales:health authorities in England and Wales during 1977; and what was the overall total per 100 live births for England, Wales, and England and Wales during the same year.

The latest available rates, which are by region of residence, are for 1976.

Regional Health Authority	Abortions per 100 live births
Northern	13·5
Yorkshire	13·8
Trent	14·3
East Anglian	13·4
North West Thames	30·1
North East Thames	24·9
South East Thames	21·1
South West Thames	20·9
Wessex	14·1
Oxford	14·9
South Western	15·7
West Midlands	17·6

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the number of abortions carried out in England and Wales in each year from 1968

			Abortions to
			All women in National Health Service only		Women not usually resident in England and Wales All premises		Women not usually resident in Great Britain All premises
		All abortions occurring in calendar year	Number	percentage of all	Number	percentage of all	Number	percentage of all
1968 (from 27th April)		23,641	14,560	61·6	1,309	5·5	Not available
1969	…	54,319	33,728	61·5	4,990	9·1	Not available
1970	…	86,565	47,678	55·1	10,603	12·2	10,294	11·9
1971	…	126,777	53,706	42·4	32,207	25·4	31,683	25·0
1972	…	159,884	57,086	35·7	51,319	32·1	50,484	31·6
1973	…	167,149	55,637	33·3	56,581	33·9	55,513	33·2
1974	…	162,940	56,320	34·6	53,495	32·8	52,469	32·2
1975	…	140,521	51,825	36·9	33,873	24·1	32,808	23·3
1976	…	127,904	50,046	39·1	26,901	21·0	25,976	20·3
1977*	…	132,999	52,198	39·2	30,762	23·1	29,910	22·5
* Notifications in 52-week period ended 28th December 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many abortions were notified as being carried out in England and Wales in 1977 on women whose normal place of residence was respectively, England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic, the Channel Isles, the Isle of Man, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Italy, West Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, the United States of America, and other countries.

The numbers of legal abortions performed in England and Wales and notified in the 52-week period ended 28th December 1977 are as follows:

Country of woman's usual residence
England and Wales	102,237
Scotland	852
Northern Ireland	1,255
Irish Republic	2,183
Channel Islands and Isle of Man	400
Belgium	364
Luxembourg	0
France	4,201

Legal abortions performed in England and Wales were as follows:

Spain	10,171
Italy	7,849
Germany (Federal Republic)	1,732
Netherlands	87
Denmark	5
Austria	118
Switzerland	284
Canada	10
United States of America	58
Other countries	1,193
Total	132,999

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the death rate per 100,000 legal abortion operations in England and Wales for each of the years 1967 to 1977 inclusive; and what was the rate for those operations performed within the first 12 weeks of gestation, between the 13th week and the 20th week, and after the 20th week, respectively, for each of those years.

Information is not available in the full detail requested. The two tables below give the available information from 1969 to 1973 for women usually resident in England and Wales, and from 1972 to 1976 for all women.

Gestation weeks
			Under 13		13–16		17 and over		13 and over		Not stated		All gestations
			No.	Rate	No.	Rate	No.	Rate	No.	Rate	No.	Rate	No.	Rate
Deaths following legal abortions and rates per 10,000 legal abortions for women usually resident in England and Wales.
1969	…	…	6	1·9	7	5·5	4	9·6	11	6·5	—	—	17	3·4
1970	…	…	6	1·1	3	1·8	4	9·6	7	3·3	1	4·3	14	1·8
1971	…	…	6	0·9	3	1·7	2	5·3	5	2·3	—	—	11	1·2
1972	…	…	8	0·9	3	1·6	3	8·8	6	2·8	—	—	14	1·3
1973	…	…	3	0·3	1	0·6		—	1	0·5	—	—	4	0·4
Deaths following legal abortions and rates per 10,000 legal abortions in England and Wales for all women
1972	…	…	9	0·7	—	—	—	—	6	1·9	—	—	15	09
1973	…	…	5	0·4	—	—	—	—	1	0·3	—	—	6	0·4
1974	…	…	5	0·4	—	—	—	—	2	0·6	—	—	7	0·4
1975	…	…	—	—	—	—	—	—	3	1·1	—	—	3	0·2
1976	…	…	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	2·3	1	0·1

Deaths are those reported with notifications of legal abortions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, how many abortions have taken place at 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 weeks, respectively, in each year from 1967 to 1977 inclusive on women resident in England and Wales; and what percentage of total abortions each of these figures represents.

Data by single weeks of gestation are not readily available and could not be obtained without a disproportionate use of time and resources. Available numbers, and percentages of all legal abortions to women resident in England and Wales, are given below.

	Gestation weeks
	20 to 23		24 to 28
	Number	Per cent	Number	Per cent
1968 (from 27th April)	572	2·6	127	0·6
1969	998	2·0	174	0·3
1970	796	1·0	157	0·2
1971	733	0·8	114	0·1
1972	709	0·7	137	0·1

LEGAL ABORTIONS IN ENGLAND AND WALES
	Under 9 weeks	9–12	13–19	20–23	24 and over	Not stated	All gestations
1974	Percentages
All premises	24·0	53·8	18·4	0·9	0·1	2·8	100
NHS	16·3	60·5	18·4	0·8	0·2	3·8	100
Non-NHS	28·1	50·2	18·4	1·0	0·1	2·2	100
1975
All premises	23·7	53·5	18·1	1·2	0·1	3·4	100
NHS	16·6	59·4	18·4	0·8	0·1	4·7	100
Non-NHS	27·8	50·2	17·9	1·4	0·1	2·6	100
1976
All premises	24·3	53·2	17·7	1·3	0·2	3·3	100
NHS	16·8	60·6	17·0	0·7	0·2	4·7	100
Non-NHS	29·1	48·4	18·2	1·7	0·2	2·4	100
The 1977 data are not yet available in this detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of abortions in England and Wales took place at under nine weeks, nine to 12 weeks, 13 to 19 weeks, 20 to 23 weeks, and 24 plus weeks, on all patients, National Health Service patients and non-National Health Service patients, respectively in the years 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977.

The full detail requested, distinguishing betwen operations on NHS and non-NHS premises, is available only for women usually resident in England and Wales. Abortions to non-residents have, however, all been included in the non-NHS category as only a few are performed in NHS hospitals. The few form less than 0·5 per cent of either the NHS or non-NHS totals.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the number of deaths attributed to abortion in England and Wales for the year 1977, as classified under of the International Cause of Death codes 640 to 645.

The latest information for England and Wales is a provisional figure of two deaths attributed to abortion (ICD 640–645) in the three quarters to 30th September 1977. In the year 1976, there were seven deaths from this cause.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the maternal mortality per 100 live births for the years 1976 and 1977 in Engand and Wales.

Maternal mortality (ICD 630–678) in England and Wales was 13 per 100,000 total—live and still—births in 1976. The figure remains unchanged if expressed as a rate per 100,000 live births only. Similar details are not yet available for 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish in the Official Report the complement of beds available in 1971 and at the present time in the Central Middlesex, Learning-ton Park, Willesden, St. Monica's Neasden and Wembley Hospitals; (2) why there has been a 30 per cent. drop in the number of beds available for hospital treatment between the years 1971 and 1975 in the Brent health district.

The complement of beds for 1971 and December 1977—the latest figures available—are as follows:

		December
	1971	1977
Central Middlesex	689	588
Leamington Park	96	96
Willesden	127	40
St Monica's	35	NIL
Neasden	180	90
Wembley	131	130
TOTAL	1,258	944

The drop in the number of beds—25 per cent.—is due to several factors. The district is over-provided with acute beds. At Central Middlesex Hospital up to 100 beds at any one time are out of use because of ward upgrading. Upgrading wards at Willesden Hospital has already provided 40 geriatric beds; further beds will be brought back into use after conversion. The increase in the number of beds at Northwick Park Hospital from 275 to 771 has provided additional accommodation for some patients who formerly relied upon services in Brent district. The area infectious diseases service—56 beds—formerly provided at Neasden Hospital has been transferred to Northwick Park Hospital. In addition, there has been a gradual decline in the population.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will state the total cost, including the running costs of clinics, service costs, training costs and costs of audiometricians, of supplying hearing aids through the National Health Service, expressed per hearing aid supplied;(2) How many hearing aids were supplied in the years 1974–75, 1975–76 and 1976–77; and what was the average cost per unit paid to the manufacturer in each of these years.