asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that adequate use is being made of the fertiliser potential of sewage; and if he will make a statement.

Generally speaking, sewage works separate raw sewage into sludge and liquid effluent. At the present time, about half the sludge produced in England and Wales is used on agricultural land as an organic manure or in land restoration. Of the rest, most cannot be used as manure due to contamination with industrial waste. The use of some sludge which is of suitable quality is rendered uneconomic because of haulage costs.The possibilities for the recovery of fertiliser material at present lost in effluents is being studied by the Department of the Environment and regional water authorities are actively examining ways of increasing the quantity of sludge suitable for use in agriculture. Stricter controls over industrial discharge into sewers could increase the amount of sludge suitable for use as a manure but it has to be recognised that this would often increase costs to industry.I am satisfied that within the constraints of the sewage system good use is being made of the readily available fertiliser material in sewage sludges and that officials and research workers are making adequate efforts to improve the efficiency with which the fertiliser material available in sewage generally is being recycled.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the sources of income of the Central Council for Agricultural and Horticultural Co-operation, showing the amount of each source for the financial years 1976–77 and 1977–78, the total administrative cost of each of these years, and the total disbursements as grants in these two years.

The Central Council received funds to meet the cost of its administration and operations from the Agriculture Ministers; any receipts from other sources are surrendered to the Exchequer. I refer the hon. Member to the accounts of the Central Council which are published as an Appendix to the Appropriation Accounts. The provisional figure of expenditure for 1977–78 is £879,983.Grants paid under the agricultural and horticultural co-operation scheme 1971 and EEC Regulation 1035/72 amounted to £815,293 in 1976–77 and the provisional figure for 1977–78 is £876,538.

asked the Lord President of the Council if it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government that the Comptroller and Auditor General and his Department should be responsible to the House.

The Government agree with the summary of the constitutional position of the Comptroller and Auditor General which appears in paragraphs 6 to 8 of the memorandum on the work of the Exchequer and Audit Department which was submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General to the General Sub-Committee of the Expenditure Committee in November 1976, and published on pages 582–586 of Volume II (Part II) of the Eleventh Report of the Expenditure Committee, 1976–77. As the Government made clear in their reply to Recommendation 51 of that report (Cmnd 7117, page 27), they consider it of cardinal importance that the Comptroller and Auditor General should not be subject to directions from any quarter in the exercise of the duties laid on him by statute to undertake an effective audit and scrutiny of the expenditure of the Executive.

asked the Lord President of the Council what estimate he has made for 1977–78 of the cost of running the House of Commons, including all services of any kind whatsoever, salaries of all staff, maintenance, repairs and improvements, and including all buildings, such as Norman Shaw, Dean's Yard, &c., where Members or their secretaries have official working facilities provided; and

										£	£
HOUSE OF COMMONS VOTE
Members' Salaries			…	…	…	…	…	…	…	4,143,045·00
Members' Expenses			…	…	…	…	…	…	…	5,026,159·00
Contributions to Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund									…	1,004,779·00
											10,173,983·00
Staff Salaries		…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	2,871,189·00
Retired Allowances			…	…	…	…	…	…	…	430,140·00
											3,301,329·00
General Expenses			…	…	…	…	…	…	…		1,267,571·00
Refreshment Department (Contribution towards staff costs during the periods of recess in 1977–78 and towards the payment of interest on the Consolidated Fund Loan)							…	…	…		248,481·00
Members' Fund (grant in aid)				…	…	…	…	…	…		15,000·00
Police	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…		491,125·00
											15,497,489·00
Treasury
Salaries and Allowances				…	…	…	…	…	…		40,000·00
Her Majesty's Stationery Office
Parliamentary Printing and Stationery						…	…	…	…	7,038,000·00
Office Machinery			…	…	…	…	…	…	…	104,000·00
											7,142,000·00
Department of the Environment
Salaries, Wages, etc.			…	…	…	…	…	…	…	506,000·00
Capital Expenditure (New Works and Improvements)								…	…	794,000·00
Current Expenditure and Repairs					…	…	…	…	…	1,447,000·00
											2,747,000·00

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if there is any means of paying a supportive allowance to an adult family man whose own savings permit him to pay for a nongovernmental retraining course but where these are insufficient for him to maintain his family during his retraining period.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that no allowances are payable in the particular circumstances described. I will, however, examine the case to see if there are any possible means of help if the hon. Member will let me have details.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in the cost of living since April 1974 to the most recent convenient date.

Expenditure from the House of Commons Vote for the year ended 31st March 1978 is estimated as follows:

Between April 1974 and March 1978, the latest date for which information is available, the retail price index increased by 80·8 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what would be the cost to the economy of industry moving towards a 35-hour working week across the board;(2) how many additional jobs would be created if the average working week was reduced from 40 hours by (

On certain assumptions about the effects on productivity, output and overtime it is estimated that reducing normal weekly hours to 35 could create jobs for between 150,000 and 750,000 people of whom two-thirds would be expected to come from the unemployment register. If weekly earnings were maintained it is estimated that labour costs would increase by between 6 per cent. and 8 per cent. The effect of such an increase would weaken our competitive position unless our international competitors implemented an equivalent reduction.On similar assumptions, reducing normal hours to 39 or 37 would have one-fifth or three-fifths of the effect respectively of a reduction to 35 hours.An article on the effects of reducing the length of the normal working week will appear in the April

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that works safety officers have received suitable training; and what progress has been made in using the provisions of paragraph 6 of Schedule 3 to the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act for this purpose.

Section 2(2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act already requires employers to provide, among other things, such information, instruction and training as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of his employees. Where safety officers have been appointed, this requirement clearly applies as much to them as to any other employee. Whether Her Majesty's Government should take any further steps regarding the training of safety officers will need to be decided in the light of the considerations which, I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission, the Commission is giving to the whole question of the employment, training and qualifications of safety officers. At present, therefore, I see no need to invoke for this purpose the powers contained in para. 6 of Schedule 3 to that Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether the present level of dumping of Spanish toilet tissue in the United Kingdom is sufficiently serious to warrant an investigation of dumping by the EEC Commission.

Penetration of the United Kingdom market has not yet reached 2 per cent. At this level I understand the EEC Commission is not prepared to announce a formal investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the monthly volume of imports of toilet tissue from Spain since November 1977; and what percentage penetration of the United Kingdom market this represented in the fourth quarter of 1977 and in the first quarter of 1978.

Imports of toilet paper from Spain since November 1977 have been as follows:

	Tonnes
1977
December	259
January	511
1978
February	470
March	134

These imports represented 1·1 per cent. of the United Kingdom market in the fourth quarter of 1977. Similar information for the first quarter of 1978 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether the Government will press for Community action as soon as the EEC is entitled to ask for a quota on a product for which a country with whom the United Kingdom has an agreement becomes a significant supplier; and if he will make a statement.

The action to be taken once imports of a particular product reach the trigger level will depend upon the sensitivity of the product concerned and the level of import penetration. For Group I products subject to global ceilings, action will be taken automatically by the Commission. In other cases it will be necessary to demonstrate that imports are causing damage.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will press for Community action as soon as a low cost country with which the United Kingdom does not yet have an agreement becomes an important supplier of textiles and clothing; and if he will make a statement.

The Commission has undertaken to apply the same trigger criteria to imports from countries which have not concluded bilateral agreements as it does to imports from those which have.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will seek to persuade the EEC members of the urgent need for improvements in the monitoring of Community imports; and if he will make a statement.

We have constantly stressed the importance of effective monitoring on the Commission, and it is at present considering how the system might be improved. Three systems will be set up—those of the Commission, the United Kingdom textile industry and Whitehall. Similar systems will operate in each of the member States. The industry system is already operational; the Commission system will be ready by the end of the month and the Whitehall system will be fully operational shortly afterwards. The United Kingdom always provided the information required by the Commission within the time limit and has impressed upon the Commission and other member States the need for each country to put the greatest effort into the efficient operation of monitoring and surveillance.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will press for an improved system of control of textiles for the Mediterranean countries and, in the meantime, urge very strict observance of the limits set for 1978.

I will reply to my hen. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what technical evaluation has been made by his Department of a range of products with overseas markets being pioneered by the Lucas Aerospace combine shop stewards' committee; and if he will make a statement.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 20th April 1978; Vol. 948, c. 317], gave the following information:I cannot prejudge the outcome of any discussions between the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions, the combine and the company's board, but I should be ready to co-operate in any market appraisal which might facilitate those discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what quantity and value of waste paper was imported into the United Kingdom in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how these compare with the figures for the previous 12 months.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 25th April 1978; Vol. 948, c. 541], gave the following information:Following is the information for waste paper and paperboard:

	April 1976-March 1977	April 1977-March 1978	Percentage change
Quantity (tonnes)	129,792	93,904	-28
Value (£'000 cif)	8,338	7,542	-9½
Source: Overseas Trade Statistics (SITC. (Rev 1 and 2) sub-group 251.1)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will hold discussions with the other EEC members with a view to co-ordinating the dates when summer time officially commences and clocks are advanced.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend gave on 19th April to a Question by the hon. Member for Burton (Mr. Lawrence).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars were stolen on Merseyside in each of the past five years, to the latest available date.

The information is available only from 1st April 1974 and is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" (Table 29 of the volume for 1976 (Cmnd. 6909)). The number of such offences recorded by the police in Merseyside in 1977 was 22,652.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars have been stolen in Liverpool, Scotland Exchange in each of the past five years.

Information in the form requested is not available.Merseyside Police have supplied the following information for their A Division which covers about 90 per cent. of the Liverpool, Scotland Exchange constituency.

OFFENCES OF THEFT OR UNAUTHORISED TAKING OF A MOTOR VEHICLE RECORDED BY THE POLICE IN A DIVISION OF THE MERSEYSIDE POLICE.
Year	Number of offences
1973	3,221
1974	3,526
1975	3,629
1976	3,195
1977	3,405

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to prevent convicted criminals being paid for stories of their crimes.

We do not consider that it is appropriate or practicable to deal with this matter by legislation: it is better to rely on voluntary restraint and the influence of the Press Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount of land purchased and disposed of by local authorities under the Community Land Act since the Act became operative.

In 1976–77 authorities in England acquired nearly 1,600 acres and disposed of 33 acres. Figures for 1977–78 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning applications were received from overseas embassies in London in the last three years; and how many were refused.

Planning applications from overseas embassies are submitted initially to the local planning authorities and I have no information about the numbers of such applications. However, over the last three years, my predecessor and I have called in for our own decision 22 such applications of which 12 were allowed, some after modifications had been agreed with the applicants, four were withdrawn and the remainder are still being considered. None has so far been refused.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether it remains his policy to disperse 3,000 staff of the Property Services Agency to Teesside between 1983–84 and 1984–85; what has been the reaction expressed to him by the Civil Service trades unions to this proposal; what reply he has given; what is the expected administrative cost of the move; what savings are expected; and how these are calculated;(2) whether he will outline the benefits in administrative efficiency and service to the public which he envisages will flow from his policy of dispersing 3,000 civil servants in the Property Services Agency to Teesside; and whether he will make a statement;(3) what anxieties have been expresesd to him by civil servants over the age of 50 years in the Property Services Agency at the effect on their personal lives and circumstances of dispersal to Teesside; what action he is taking to meet this concern, following his correspondence with the hon. Member for Melton on this subject; and whether he will give an assurance that everything possible will be done to avoid compulsory transfer for those who do not wish to go, and without detriment to their careers.

It remains the Government's policy, as part of the programme announced in July 1974, to disperse 3,000 jobs in the Property Services Agency's headquarters to Cleveland. About half these jobs are expected to be filled by local recruitment. The departmental Staff Side have expressed their opposition to the move, but they have been assured that they will be kept informed of the planning and they are being given every opportunity to express their views on the details as they emerge. I am aware that concern has been expressed by staff at all age levels who do not wish to go to Cleveland about the consequences, and everything possible will be done to avoid compulsory transfers.It is too soon to make a reliable estimate of the total cost of the PSA dispersal. There will be some long-term savings, for example, on accommodation given up in London and elsewhere and on payments of London weighting allowances. But the principal aim of the Government's dispersal policy is to create new job opportunities in such areas as Cleveland where unemployment remains much higher than in the South-East. No one pretends that in helping to achieve this there will not be some loss of efficiency at least in the short-term but every effort will be made to keep it to the minimum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the current revised costs for the maintenance and building of the Scottish Assembly in Edinburgh.

The capital and running costs, including maintenance, of the Scottish Assembly remain as estimated in the Explanatory and Financial Memorandum to the Scotland Bill at about £3¼ million and £6¾ million respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the average increase in the market price of houses over the last four years.

The average increase in the market price of houses over the period 1973 to 1977 was 8 per cent. per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he now expects to be able to give any advice to local authorities concerning the blacklisting of companies which have breached phase three of the Government's pay policy or concerning the form of contract which they should use in public purchasing, in order to enforce that pay policy, before the end of phase 3 of the pay policy.

I am still considering what advice would be helpful. In deciding on the form it might take and its timing, I would of course wish to consult the local authority associations and take account of their views.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the local authority associations about the proposals for a new system of capital expenditure controls contained in the Green Paper on local government finance (Command Paper No. 6813); and if he will make a statement.

I have discussed with the local authority associations in the Consultative Council on Local Government Finance our proposals to replace the existing system of borrowing approvals for individual projects by a new system of annual block approvals of expenditure by programmes. This would have enabled local authorities to determine their own priorities for capital expenditure within general policy guidelines laid down by central Government. The system would, however, have restricted local authorities' freedom to finance capital expenditure from sources other than borrowing.The Government have concluded that it would be inappropriate to restrict authorities in this way and have decided in the circumstances to continue and develop the existing system, with the agreement and co-operation of the associations. We shall, of course, continue to review the system in the light of our experience of the operation of block expenditure allocations as used in the housing investment programmes and in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department is undertaking into the advantages of trains for urban transport; and if he will make a statement on the current use of trains in cities in other EEC countries.

The Transport and Road Research Laboratory is undertaking a review of the potential for light rail, including trams, in Great Britain. This work should be completed, and a report published, shortly.The review takes into account current practice in those EEC countries which have light rail, and tramway, systems.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many deaths resulted from accidents involving stolen cars on Merseyside in each of the past five years;(2) how many people have been injured in accidents involving stolen cars on Merseyside in each of the past five years;(3) how many people have been injured in accidents involving stolen cars in Liverpool, Scotland Exchange in each of the past five years;(4) how many people have been killed in accidents involving stolen cars in Liverpool, Scotland Exchange in each of the past five years.

Statistics of road accidents in local areas are a matter for the local authorities concerned. I suggest

Grade		Staff in post as at 1st January 1975	Percentage increase/decrease between January 1975 and January 1976	Staff in post us at 1st January 1976	Percentage increase/decrease between January 1976 and January 1977	Staff in post as at 1st January 1977	Percentage increase/decrease between January 1977 and January 1978	Staff in post as at 1st January 1978
			Per cent.		Per cent.		Per cent.
Administration Group		272,944	-8·7	249,094	+ 1·0	251,637	-0·4	250,597
Professional and Technology Group	…	39,436	+ 3·9	41,004	-1·2	40,507	-1·4	39,956
Science Group	…	17,194	+ 2·7	17,652	-2·9	17,148	-2·8	16,667
Total number of Civil Servants	…	693,921	+ 7·4	745,120	+ 0·1	746,161	-1·0	737,984
Notes:
1. The figures for 1976 and 1977 are the most up-to-date available and therefore differ slightly from hose published in the 1976 and 1977 versions of Civil Service Statistics. The figures used are those which will appear in the 1978 edition, which is to be published in July 1978.
2. The Administration Group comprises the former Clerical. Executive and Administrative grades. The 1st January 1975 figure for this Group includes 43,000 staff who were transferred to the Social Security Group upon its creation on 1st April 1975.
3. Staff of the Manpower Services Commission and its Agencies were not counted as civil servants until 1st January 1976, the number of such staff included in the 1st January 1976 figure is 20,800.
4. The Professional and Technology Group does not include members of the professions such as doctors and lawyers. There are separate occupational groupings for these professions and their numbers are separately identified in Civil Service Statistics.
5. Part-time staff are counted as half units and casual staff are excluded.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service (1) if he will give the overall numbers of the Civil Service and the percentage increase or decrease in numbers for each year since 1975, respectively;(2) if he will give the overall number of civil servants in the professional, technical and scientific grades and the percentage increase or decrease in numbers for each year since 1975, respectively;(3) if he will give the overall numbers of civil servants in the clerical, executive and administrative grades and the percentage increase or decrease in numbers for each year since 1975, respectively.

The numbers of staff in post in the years 1975 to 1978, in the occupational groupings involved, and the percentage changes in numbers between those years, are shown in the table below. Detailed accounts of changes in Civil Service numbers, by grade and by department, are given annually in Civil Service Statistics, copies of which are available in the Library.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will illustrate and detail the reductions in establishments caused by the reductions in Civil Service staff costs projected for 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80 in Table 1.4 of Command Paper No. 6393.

In the replies I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Burnley (Mr. Jones) and the hon. Member for St. Ives (Mr. Nott) [Official Report, 29th July 1976, Vol. 916, c. 383–7], I announced that the Government had identified savings, at 1975 survey prices, of £95 million in 1978–79 and £36 million in 1977–78 in expenditure on Civil Service manpower and related administration against the targets set out in Cmnd. 6393. The consequential savings in 1978–80 are £90 million. My replies gave a breakdown of the savings by individual departments. To these figures must be added the further economies of £30 million in 1977–78 and £10 million in 1978–79, at 1976 Survey prices, announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 15th December 1976 (Vol. 922, c. 1527–8). In my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis) on 11th March 1977 (Vol. 927, c. 677–8), I gave a breakdown by department of the allocation of the £30 million savings in 1977–78.Without these economies, together with those resulting from the defence review, the Civil Service might have been expected to number 785,000 to 790,000 by 1978–79, compared with the actual figure of 738,000 for 1st January 1978; the corresponding 1st April 1976 figure was 747,600. These reductions in Civil Service numbers have been achieved despite the effects of unemployment and inflation on the staffing requirements of the Departments of Employment and Health and Social Security, and the Inland Revenue. Departments have achieved economies by the elimination of tasks of lower priority, simplifying procedures, close attention to staff inspection, and a continuing search for economy in administrative costs. Details of specific savings in individual departments are a matter for the Minister concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many cars have been ordered by the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corporation from Metro-Cammell; and what this order represents in terms of money and employment.

A total of 210 cars has now been ordered by the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corporation from Metro-Cammell. This order is worth £75 million and will help to preserve the employment of some 1,000 people at Metro-Cammell and its sub-contractors.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what studies the tripartite National Economic Co-operation Development Plastics Steering Committee has made of the prospects for the plastics industry in Scotland.

The Plastics Steering Committee has recently been brought fully into the industrial strategy at sector working party level. The brief of the new Plastics Processing Sector Working Party is primarily to consider national objectives. Nevertheless, the Department of Industry places considerable emphasis on regional policy, and recently commissioned a report on the plastics processing industry in a particular region, namely South Wales. This is being discussed by the sector working party and it is hoped that it will lead to national policy recommendations which will have implications for Scotland also.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, in the light of the fact that the proportion of imported garments sold in the United Kingdom represents seven out of every 10 shirts, seven out of every 10 pairs of jeans, six out of every 10 men's jackets, and five out of every 10 blouses, if he is satisfied with this situation; and what action he intends to take.

I am well aware of the large share of our market in shirts, jeans, jackets and blouses taken by imports from low-cost third country suppliers. It is because our import penetration in products such as these is so high compared to that in most other developed countries that we took the lead in seeking a tougher MFA in the negotiations recently concluded.Major features of the new arrangements are the internal global import ceilings which cover all low-cost imports of highly sensitive products. These ceilings, which cover, amongst other products, shirts, jeans and blouses are intended to keep the growth in imports broadly in line with the expected growth in consumption and thus to bring about a virtual stabilisation in penetration.The ceilings, and indeed the new arrangements generally, have been welcomed by our industries, as the recent textile debate in the House made clear. Nonetheless, we shall be watching closely to ensure that the new arrangements are effective in achieving a reduction in the rate of increase of imports of sensitive products from low-cost sources.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what action he is taking to assist textile industries and, in particular, woollen textiles in the United Kingdom.

My Department is operating two schemes of financial support under the Industry Act 1972 for the modernisation, re-equipment and restructuring of the wool textile industry. The first scheme, which is nearly completed, will involve Government expenditure of about £16 million and will have resulted in total investment by the industry of about £70 million. The allocation of £5 million of Government assistance under the second scheme is expected to be fully taken up by the industry. Both schemes are now closed for applications. There is also a scheme of assistance for firms in the clothing industry, to which £15 million has been allocated. Companies in the wool textile industry, and in the textile industry in general, are also eligible for every form of financial assistance which is available to industry generally.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the countries affected by the EEC and its main low cost textile suppliers; and if he is prepared to seek amendments to the list.

The EEC now has bilateral MFA textile agreements with Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uruguay and Yugoslavia. In addition, there have been negotiations with Hungary and Poland and negotiations are projected with Bangladesh, Haiti and Iran. There are analogous arrangements with six main Mediterranean suppliers—Greece, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Tunisia—whilst Taiwan is covered by unilateral measures.As part of the monitoring of the new arrangements, we shall be keeping a close watch upon new sources of supply. Should any of these become significant suppliers of a range of sensitive products we shall certainly press for bilateral arrangements similar to those I have listed.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many firm inquiries have been received as a result of overseas promotions sponsored by the Invest in Britain Bureau; to what areas of Great Britain they have been referred; and how many new jobs have been, or are expected to be, created as a result.

, pursuant to his answer [Official Report, 21st April 1978; Vol. 948, c. 406], gave the following information:Since September 1977, the Invest in Britain Bureau has dealt with about 250 new inquiries from individual companies about projects which would create several thousand new jobs. Many of these projects are at an early stage of planning. It is seldom possible to identify an inquiry as having originated solely as a result of any one activity, e.g. by the overseas posts of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the promotions sponsored by the Invest in Britain Bureau or other promotional agencies. The Invest in Britain Bureau co-ordinates inquiries addressed initially to any United Kingdom Government agency. It is normal practice to refer them to all the assisted areas of the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on his most recent visit to the United States of America; who were the political advisers who accompanied him; and what was the total cost for the visit.

The occasion of my last visit to the United States of America, which was from 21st to 24th February, was to take part in the international conference on energy conservation organised by the District of Columbia Bar. I took the opportunity to call on Dr. Schlesinger, to take part in a discussion on energy at the Georgetown University Centre for Strategic and International Studies and to meet a number of senators and congressmen. I first spent a day in New York where I met the chairman of Exxon Corporation and Mobil Oil Corporation and addressed the Calvin Bullock forum on energy policy and world politics.I was accompanied by my private secretary, Mr. James Bretherton, Mrs. Frances Morrell—one of my special advisers—and two senior officials from my Department—Mr. David Jones and Mr. Bernard Ingham—who each undertook different programmes from my own. The total cost is estimated to be a little over £5,000, including air fares.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will estimate the extra cost of running an extended airfield at Stanley in the Falkland Islands and the extra income which might be expected as a result of such an extension.

Any realistic estimate would require extensive studies. These would have to be based on wider experience than is at present available on the running costs of the existing airfield, which opened for traffic only six months ago.The extra income resulting from an extension would depend almost entirely on demand generated by economic developments in the South-West Atlantic which have not yet taken place and therefore cannot be estimated now.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why a degree in education from the National University of Ireland is not considered by her Department to be as good as a teacher training course in the United Kingdom.

The recognition of teachers for employment in maintained schools in England and Wales is governed by the Schols Regulations 1959, as amended. Regulation 16(2)(a) prescribes that a course of teacher training completed outside the Untied Kingdom must be comparable to a course approved by the Secretary of State and completed within the United Kingdom. Courses leading to the degree of Bachelor of Education of the National University of Ireland are not accepted as they may be entered at an earlier age than in the United Kingdom, a wider range of subjects is studied and rather less time is devoted to the important matter of teaching practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which United Kingdom teaching qualifications are accepted by the Government of the Irish Republic as equivalent to their own; and which are not.

I understand that, with very limited exceptions, competence in the Irish language is a requirement for teaching in State schools in the Republic of Ireland. But if this requirement is met, successful completion of a non-graduate teacher training course in England or Wales is accepted for primary school teaching; a United Kingdom university degree without teacher training is acceptable in secondary vocational schools, but in other secondary schools and in primary schools a graduate must have successfully completed training and the acceptability of training undertaken in the United Kingdom is decided individually.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the qualifications required to teach in each of the countries of the European Economic Community, showing in each case the number of years' study and the amount of time spent in teaching practice in the classroom.

Full details of the requirements of EEC member countries are not available, but I am sending the hon. Member a booklet produced by the European Communities information service which gives an outline of the situation in each country. In England and Wales qualified teacher status is normally obtained either by successfully completing a three-year training course leading to a non-graduate certificate of education, a three- or four-year Bachelor of Education course or a training course of one year for holders of a university degree. At least 15 weeks of teaching practice are normally included in non-graduate and BEd courses, and at least 10 weeks in postgraduate courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the combined totals for book purchasing by libraries in 1975, 1976, 1977, and up to the latest available date; and what percentage increases there have been in the actual cost of books in these periods.

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy publishes statistics of local authorities' expenditure on the purchase of books for public libraries in each financial year. Following are the latest available figures:

	£
1974–75*	19,996,451
1975–76	25,434,732
1976–77	27,854,165
* Returns from local authorities following reorganisation were incomplete.

The Department of Education and Science does not collect statistics of book prices. Indices published by other bodies, on different bases, show widely differing figures for recent years. The index published by the British National Bibliography shows a rise of about 43 per cent. over the period July 1974 to December 1977; because of a discontinuity in the method of calculation it does not provide comparable figures for each of the years in question.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what pilot projects for school leavers, comparable to those mentioned in an oral answer on 18th April last, have been mounted either by local education authorities or by her Department.

A number of schemes have been mounted by local education authorities to assist the preparation of young people for work and their transition to employment in areas including Coventry, Cleveland, Leicestershire, Leeds, Liverpool and Sunderland. At national level, the Government launched in 1976 a programme of pilot schemes of unified vocational preparation aimed primarily at young people in employment who received no further education and little or no systematic training. To date about 50 such schemes have been mounted by industrial training boards, colleges of further education and other agencies. The Schools Council sponsored research into careers education and guidance between 1971 and 1977. In collaboration with the TUC and CBI, it is currently engaged in the schools council industry project which embraces projects in the areas of five local education authorities. My Department is also financing the following projects:

Construction of job knowledge indices (Hatfield Polytechnic).

Individual family and school influences on the first year of employment (University of London, Institute of Psychiatry).

A Community Approach to the Transition from School to Work (Church of England Board of Education).

Careers Guidance Integration Project (National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling—Project jointly financed with the EEC Commission).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what public funds are being made available for political education purposes to the National Association of Youth Clubs and the British Youth Council; which political organisations will be included in the scheme; and who is responsible for monitoring the expenditure of this grant;(2) whether information on the National Front and the Communist Party will be included in the youth political education programme which is to receive public funds.

Grants of £17,370 and £17,580 have been awarded to the British Youth Council and the National Association of Youth Clubs respectively to develop programmes which are aimed at improving the social and political education of young people. It is for these organisations to decide the content of their programme. My Department will monitor their expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will direct an investigation to be undertaken, in consultation with the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries and the Museums Association, on the principle of indemnities covering damage or loss in respect of loans of works of art from private sources to those local authority and university museums the security of which has been approved by the security adviser to the national museums, bearing in mind that the amount of indemnities issued to private lenders in respect of long-term loans to national museums, galleries and libraries in the United Kingdom has been given in the Official Report as more than £56·3 million at the beginning of 1978, while over the last 11 financial years the only claim made and satisfied in respect of such loans has also been specified in the Official Report as £500 in 1967–68; and whether she will make a statement.

The responsibility for safeguards against risks to objects lent to museums must rest primarily with the owners and the museum authorities. Experience with the extended Government indemnity arrangements instituted last year for loans from national to local collections has not yet been sufficient to allow an estimate to be made of the risks involved. It would be premature to consider a further extension to cover objects entirely outside national possession or control.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if the standard of health of children from deprived areas has altered appreciably since the abolition of free school milk for children aged seven to 11 years; and if she estimates that any such alteration is linked with this abolition.

There is at present no medical evidence which would enable a categorical answer to be given, but my right hon. Friend believes that the reintroduction of free school milk for this age group will be of great benefit to many children who for a variety of reasons do not take a satisfying breakfast at home.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information is available to her concerning how many countries within the European Community have a comprehensive system of free school milk for children aged seven to 11 years.

Comprehensive and up-to-date information is not readily available, but before the introduction of the EEC subsidy, Ireland and Denmark supplied free milk to certain children in this age range.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what will be the cost in 1978–79 of the restoration of free school milk for 7 to 11-year-old children by local education authorities;(2) what will be the cost to the Exchequer of the restoration of free school milk to children aged 7 to 11 years in 1978–79, both gross and net of all payments made by the EEC towards this cost;(3) what will be the cost to the European Community of milk subsidies to cover the restoration of free school milk to children in Great Britain aged between 7 and 11 years.

Assuming that all local education authorities in England and Wales will decide to provide free milk to this additional group of pupils, the gross cost in financial year 1978–79—which covers two terms of the 1978–79 school year—is estimated to be about £13 million—November 1977 prices. Of this, £3½ million would be covered by the EEC subsidy at the present rate, or £5 million if proposals to raise the rate from about 3p per pint to about 4½p per pint from 1st May 1978 are adopted. Local education authorities will be reimbursed for the additional cost of providing free milk in 1978–79 to the 7 to 11-year olds, so that the net cost to the Echequer in that year will not exceed £9½ million.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much extra milk she estimates will be consumed as a result of the restoration of free school milk to children aged 7 to 11 years; and what percentage of total national milk consumption this represents.

About 15 million gallons for England and Wales in a full year, representing about 1 per cent. of the current level of total liquid milk consumption.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made by the Warnock Committee on the education of handicapped children and if she will make a statement.

The Committee has submitted its report, which is unanimous, to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, and myself. We are all most grateful to Mrs. Warnock and her colleagues for their work on this most important subject. The report will be published shortly and we hope that it will be widely discussed by all concerned with children with special learning difficulties. The Government will undertake full consultation with the many bodies active in this field before reaching their own decisions on the report's recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to meet the Unitd States Ambassador to the United Nations to discuss Southern Africa.

I have no firm plans to do so at present. Secretary of State Vance, Ambassador Young and I naturally discussed in detail the full range of Southern African questions during our recent visit to Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement about Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further action has been taken to bring about a just settlement of the Rhodesian problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement about the Government's continuing negotiations on the constitutional future of Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of his Rhodesian talks.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement about Rhodesia.

We are continuing to work for round-table talks with all the parties, with the aim of bringing about a cease fire and an internationally acceptable settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement setting out his views in regard to the latest Turkish proposals for a settlement of the Cyprus issue.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further proposals he has to bring about a settlement of the Cyprus problem.

My right hon. Friend has seen a synopsis of the proposals and numerous Press reports about them. It would, however, be premature for the British Government to comment before the Secretary-General of the United Nations has made his views known following his confidential talks with the parties and before there has been an opportunity to study the proposals in detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in view of the fact that Transkei has recently broken off diplomatic relations with South Africa, it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to recognise the Government of Transkei.

The United Kingdom does not recognise the Transkei as an independent sovereign State. The severance of the Transkei's so-called diplomatic relations with South Africa does not affect this position.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his review of his programme of visits for the coming year.

My right hon. Friend's programme of overseas visits is constantly under review. It includes attendance at regular meetings of various international bodies, as well as bilateral visits. Details are made known, as and when the arrangements become firm.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will next meet the United States Secretary of State.

My right hon. Friend has spent several days in Mr. Vance's company this month. He plans to meet Mr. Vance next at the North Atlantic Council meeting in Washington on 30th and 31st May.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Sri Lanka about the need to compensate British citizens whose investments in the tea and rubber plantations have been nationalised by that Government.

As my hon. Friend told the House on 28th January 1976, assurances were given by the Sri Lanka Government that they would pay compensation to the former owners of nationalised plantation estates in accordance with international law. These assurances have since been renewed by the present Sri Lanka Government and a number of former British owners have already received some compensation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about his discussions over the independence constitution for Namibia.

The Five Powers' proposal for a settlement in Namibia envisages that the freely elected Constituent Assembly will draft the constitution for independence. It does not propose what form that constitution should take, nor has this been the subject of discussions between the Five Powers and the parties concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to seek to pay an official visit to Pakistan.

My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to visit Pakistan.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will recommend the application of economic sanctions against South Africa.

No, but my right hon. Friend has already made clear the risks of the extent of our economic links with the Republic.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends to seek to pay an official visit to Argentina.

My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how long the term of office of the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Murray MacLehose, has been extended; and whether he will make a statement.

Her Majesty The Queen has approved the extension of the Governor's term until August 1979. My right hon. Friend warmly welcomes this. Sir Murray MacLehose's governorship has been distinguished by outstanding achievements in Hong Kong's social and economic development which owe much to the personal leadership and dedication of the Governor himself.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have recently been made to him by British commercial interests about the delay in implementing the Central Policy Review Staff's report on the Diplomatic Service; and what plans he has to improve the effectiveness of commercial departments in British posts and embassies overseas.

No specific representations have been made about delays in implementing the CPRS's recommendations concerning the export services: indeed, most representations have urged caution.As my hon. Friend told the House on 22nd February, Ministers are on the point of completing their collective consideration of the CPRS report and are paying close attention to those aspects of the report dealing with the commercial work of posts overseas. In this they are being aided by the recent report of the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will take a decision on sponsoring the establishment in London of a world commodities centre, so that commodity organisations already in the United Kingdom have a clear picture of how to deal with their present accommodation problems, and other commodity organisations such as copper and rubber which might establish their headquarters in London in the future, have an inducement to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the progress being made by the interdepartmental group set up by his Department to look into the possibility of a world commodities centre being established in London.

I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Wallasey (Mrs. Chalker).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when next he plans to meet the Israeli Foreign Minister.

I hope to meet Mr. Dayan when he visits this country in early May.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise in the United Nations Commission on Human Rights recent indiscriminate killings in Ethiopia; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Trotter) on 5th April.—[Vol. 947, cc. 135–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts are being made by the United Kingdom Government to maintain the momentum of peace negotiations in the Middle East, following the visit of President Sadat to Jerusalem.

The Government have remained in close contact with the parties to the negotiations since my visit to the area in February. We support efforts to reach agreement between Israel and Egypt on a declaration of principles, which would help to bring other interested parties into the peace talks.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in view of the fact that the St. Lucia Government was elected in 1974 on a platform of independence, and that two years have elapsed since the Government of St. Lucia first sought to terminate associated status with Her Majesty's Government, if he will make a statement on his policy towards independence for St. Lucia.

I held talks last month with the St. Lucia Government and Opposition at which it was agreed that the process of consultation would be consolidated and, as part of this, that the Government of St. Lucia would publish for public discussion a draft constitution for an independent St. Lucia. I also stated that, subject to my being satisfied that all these processes had been completed, I would be prepared to call a constitutional conference within the next four months.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the discussions on the independence of Belize.

We are continuing to seek a negotiated settlement with Guatemala and further informal consultations are envisaged as announced at the last meeting on 2nd February. The terms of any settlement proposals will be put to the Government and people of Belize.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by Her Majesty's Government to ensure that British subjects who have accumulated funds in Zambia for work done in Zambia are able to transfer such moneys to the United Kingdom.

Because of a shortage of foreign exchange, Zambia has been compelled to place restrictions on the transfer of funds. As a result British subjects amongst others have experienced delays in arranging for the transfer of their funds to the United Kingdom. We have stressed to the Zambian Government the hardship suffered by those involved and shall continue to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total of moneys held in the United Kingdom against Czarist debts since 1917; and what is the extent of claims registered by British creditors against Czarist assets.

No comprehensive evaluation can at present be made by the British Government of the assets in the United Kingdom of the former Imperial Russian Government, and it is not therefore possible to state with any accuracy what the current value of such assets might be. Nor has there been any recent official registration of private British losses and so any estimate for these would be misleading. They are, however, of considerable magnitude. Her Majesty's Government have a claim in respect of the Russian war debt amounting to about £560 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on the Government's policy on events in the Horn of Africa.

I refer my hon. Friend to my speech at the Mansion House on 5th April.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied with the development of political co-operation on important foreign policy issues amongst the Foreign Ministers of the EEC member States.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review procedures of obtaining passports with a view to stopping the practice of forging passports by using the name of persons deceased; and if he will make a statement.

Passport issuing procedures, including those for confirming an applicant's identity, are regularly reviewed. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that no further practical safeguards against abuse can be introduced without unacceptable inconvenience and delay. Over 1 million standard passports and almost as many British visitor's passports, which my hon. Friend presumably has in mind, are issued annually. There is no evidence of widespread abuse.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the final communique from the Belgrade Conference which made no reference to human rights, was concluded taking account of the fact that Anatoly Shcharansky, on 19th April, had been held incommunicado in Lefortovo Prison for 400 days.

As my right hon. Friend made clear to the House on 25th January, the Government were fully aware of Mr. Shcharansky's case and its implications for the Belgrade meeting. The background to the concluding document agreed at Belgrade was set out fully in Cmnd. 7126.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Claims Commission promised by the Turkish Cypriot Administration has yet started processing the claims of United Kingdom citizens who suffered loss and injury as a result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

The Claims Commission will not start functioning until its terms of reference have been published. I understand that these are now ready but their publication remains delayed because of a legal technicality. Firm representations have been made to the Turkish Cypriot Administration about the urgency with which the British Government view this issue and the High Commissioner in Nicosia has this week delivered a personal message from me urging the prompt approval of the Claims Commission's terms of reference and its commencement of work on claims by United Kingdom nationals.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EEC colleagues regarding the date in 1979 for the elections to the European Parliament.

At its March meeting the Council agreed to propose to the European Council alternative dates in May and June 1979. The European Council chose the period 7th to 10th June 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his current estimate of the time needed to complete the enlargement of the EEC to include Greece, Spain and Portugal.

Negotiations with Greece are currently under way. We expect the Commission's opinion on the Portuguese application to be submitted to the Council in May and that on Spain early next year. Until these opinions have been submitted and progress has been made in subsequent negotiations it would be premature to forecast when the process of enlargement to twelve, to which we are fully committed, will be completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress towards enlargement of the EEC.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave earlier this afternoon to the hon. Member for Flint, West (Sir A. Meyer).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to meet his French and German colleagues in the Council of Ministers.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier this afternoon to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings of the Council of Ministers he has attended since assuming his present office; and on how many occasions since that date he had to send deputy Ministers to represent him.

Details of ministerial attendance at meetings of the Council of Ministers in 1977 are given in the White Papers on Developments in the European Communities (Command 6887) and (Command 7100). This year I have so far attended three meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council. At the April Foreign Affairs Council the United Kingdom was represented by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to attend a meeting of the EEC Council of Ministers.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier this afternoon to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the French Government on the problems of deciding on a single site for the European Parliament.

None since the brief discussion in the Foreign Affairs Council in January to which I referred in the reply I gave on 22nd March to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mr. Goodhart).—[Vol. 946, col. 597.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to meet Foreign Ministers of the EEC.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects next to meet the other Foreign Ministers of the European Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will next meet the EEC Foreign Ministers.

I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Members to the reply I gave earlier this afternoon to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed with other EEC Foreign Ministers the conduct of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Africa.

At the European Council on 7th and 8th April Foreign Ministers of the Nine discussed African questions, including Soviet policies.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in dealing with the applications of Spain and Greece to join the Community.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave earlier this afternoon to the hon. Member for Flint, West (Sir A. Meyer).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied with the co-ordination in the Council of Ministers and the committee of permanent representatives on economic policy harmonisation between the member States of the Community.

Yes, there are frequent discussions both in the Finance Council and between permanent representatives on these matters.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he proposes to compensate the parents of full-time students over the age of 19 years for the ultimate substitution of income tax allowance by increased child benefit, bearing in mind that child benefit is not payable to dependent children of this age.

The scale of parental contributions towards student grants has been adjusted to compensate for the value of child tax allowances withdrawn from these parents as the child benefit scheme is phased in. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science announced on 19th April the rates of contribution for 1978–79, which take account of the reduction in child tax allowances this year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the number of countries which give whole or partial exemption from tax to the pensions received by retired officials from the international organisations listed in the International Organisations Act 1968.

None of the international agreements relating to organisations to which the International Organisations Act 1968 applies provides for exemption from taxation by member countries of pensions paid to former officials. Such pensions are therefore subject to the appropriate national tax laws. United Kingdom law would not exempt them as such. It would not be possible, without a disproportionate amount of research, to say how other countries treated them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the number of international organisations whose officials are exempt from United Kingdom tax under the International Organisations Act 1968 and what information is available to him of the number of other countries whose nationals are similarly exempt from tax while serving as officials in these international organisations.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the Written Answer I gave on 17th January 1977 (Vol. 924, cols. 43–44] to my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis) specifying the Orders in Council made under the International Organisations Act 1968 which confer exemptions from United Kingdom tax on the staffs of the international organisations concerned.Since then, the following further Orders in Council have been made under that Act:

Name of Organisation	Statutory Instrument
The International Fund for Agricultural Development	1977 No. 824
The European Patent Organisation	1978 No. 179
The International Rubber Study Group	1978 No. 181

The obligation on a member country of an international organisation to give tax exemptions to its staff normally arises under the relevant international agreement and the number of countries prepared to give the exemptions may be expected to be the number subscribing to that agreement. Since membership of the United Nations involves the provision of such tax exemptions they are clearly given very widely. They vary, however, with the agreements. No information is readily available of the extent to which the staff of these organisations are exempted from tax by non-member countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what increase in real personal disposable income in 1978 is consistent with the forecast in the latest Financial Statement and Budget Report.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what increase in real take-home pay in 1978–79 is consistent with the forecast in the latest Financial Statement and Budget Report.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish his most recent estimate of the difference between planned expenditure and outturn in 1977–78, at 1977 survey prices, in the same format as Tables 5–7 in Command Paper No. 7049-II, including debt interest.

I am not prepared to give estimates in more detail than I have already given in the introduction to Part II of the Financial Statement and Budget Report until firmer figures of the value and volume of public expenditure in 1977–78 are available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will revalue the table on page 17 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report to 1977 survey prices.

The public expenditure totals, and the adjusted planning totals, in the table convert to 1977 survey prices as follows:

		£ billion at 1977 survey prices
	1977–78 estimated outturn	1978–79 forecast
Public expenditure, White Paper coverage	54½–55	59–59½
Adjusted planning total	53–53½	56½–57

The detailed figures in the table are not in general suitable for conversion to survey prices since they include elements outside the scope o

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the overall cost of tax relief on all mortgage loans and the average relief for each mortgage in each of the last 10 years.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 20th April 1978; Vol. 948, c. 347], gave the following reply:The estimated amounts are as follows:

Year	Cost £ million	Average relief per mortgagor £
1967–68	180	40
1968–69	195	41
1969–70	235	47
1970–71	285	55
1971–72	310	57
1972–73	365	66
1973–74	510	89
1974–75	695	120
1975–76	865	146
1976–77	1,050	175
1977–78	1,055	173