asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on energy-saving measures being taken by his Department.

The Ministry of Defence is playing a full part in the campaign to save energy both by economising in the use of fuel and by capital investment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement about his meeting with NATO Defence Ministers at the Defence Planning Committee on 18th and 19th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he was satisfied with the results of the recent North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Defence Planning Committee; and if he will make a statement.

This was a highly satisfactory meeting, demonstrating the determination of the Alliance, while pursuing effective arms control and disarmament, to preserve its security in the face of the continuing arms build-up of the Warsaw Pact. Of particular importance was the constructive examination of NATO's collective defence needs for the 1980s through the long term defence programme. A report on this programme, in which the United Kingdom will play a full and positive part, is being forwarded to NATO Heads of State and Government for their meeting in Washington at the end of the month. I have placed a copy of the communiqué in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the aggregate in £ sterling spent on defence by all North Atlantic Treaty Organisation members and France, compared with the estimated amount in £ sterling spent by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and its Warsaw Pact allies; and if these statistics can be broken down as representing land, sea and air forces.

Total defence expenditure by NATO countries in 1977 was about £96 billion at average 1977 prices and exchange rates. This figure includes France but excludes Greece and Turkey, for which recent figures are not available. No reliable figures are available for expenditure by the Warsaw Pact. I regret that breakdowns by land, sea and air forces are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received about current levels of local overseas allowance paid to forces in the British Army of the Rhine.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Defence Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet his NATO counterparts.

At the NATO Heads of Government meeting in Washington on 30th and 31st May.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for further meetings with Ministers of Defence of the NATO countries.

I expect to meet my colleagues collectively at the NATO Heads of Government meeting in Washington on 30th and 31st May, and subsequently at the autumn ministerial meetings of the Eurogroup and the Defence Planning Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what further discussions he has had with the staff representatives on the proposed closure of the Army Pensions Office at Stanmore, Middlesex.

No decisions have been made about closing the Army Pensions Office at Stanmore. In March of this year, however, discussions took place on the MOD Joint Whitley Council for Dispersal about the MOD's Glasgow dispersal package which might include this Army Pensions Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force stations use civilian catering; what is the cost difference; and if he will make a statement.

While most RAF stations employ civilians in support of RAF catering staff, only at RAF Fylingdales and RAF Swinderby do we have recourse to catering by contract. Shortage of accommodation at Fylingdales precludes the use of RAF catering staff. Contract catering at Swinderby has been the practice for some time; a new civilian catering contract has recently been agreed. The cost of the civilian contract or Service manning is broadly the same.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the current manpower requirement of the RAF and the basis upon which it is calculated.

86,500 at 1st April 1978.The requirement for trained manpower in the RAF is based on the number of posts—by rank and branch or trade—considered necessary to carry out the Service's tasks, with a margin to cover non-effectiveness such as that from postgraduate and further training, embarkation and disembarkation leave, hand-over periods and sickness. The trainee requirement is based primarliy on the forecast outflow from the Service of trained personnel, related to the forecast requirement for trained manpower, and takes accounts of the length of training and wastage during training. The trained and trainee requirements together give the manpower requirement.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the dates of the last three British nuclear weapon tests.

The dates of the last three British nuclear tests were 23rd May 1974, 26th August 1976 and 11th April 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what further representations he has had about the implementation of the report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Board.

I have received a number of letters on this subject, in reply to which I have stressed the immediate impact of the award and the Government's firm commitment to restore the full military salary by April 1980 at the levels appropriate at that time.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set up an office within his Department to deal with arms conversion policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the establishment of an office for arms conversion.

I have nothing to add to the answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Preston, South (Mr. Thorne) on 18th May 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the possibility of closer military contacts with the Chinese.

I expect there to be visits to the United Kingdom by Chinese military delegations in return for the Chief of the Defence Staff's visit to China. Visits of this kind fit naturally into the pattern of our general relations with China, which are important and increasingly substantial.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current cost of training a Royal Air Force pilot.

The cost of flying training varies with the aircraft and role concerned. The training of a fast jet pilot is the most expensive. The cost for this up to "wings" standard—the end of advanced flying training—is about £350,000. Before joining his first squadron, the fast jet pilot will then undertake tactical weapon and operational conversion training, so that the final cost will be in the region of £1 million.Cost for multi-engine and helicopter training are less: about £120,000 and £160,000 respectively to "wings" standard. Pilot costs thereafter are difficult to assess since operational conversion training is given for the whole crew.These figures are derived from cost accounting records and include, for the appropriate training stations concerned, personnel costs including administrative support, accommodation and office overhead costs, equipment support costs and depreciation costs for capital works and equipment. The effects of wastage at each subsequent stage of training are taken into account but no allowance is made for personnel transferred into other branches or restreamed to other flying duties such as helicopter flying. Costs quoted are therefore the average per successful pilot at 1977–78 prices; they do not indicate the marginal cost of training an individual pilot or the savings that would accrue if fewer pilots were trained.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the number of Royal Air Force pilots and other aircrew completing their training; what is the percentage failure rate; and if he will make a statement.

The current rate of training succes for aircrew is unsatisfactory. Less than half of those who begin training as pilots become fully qualified. A number of studies are being conducted in an endeavour to overcome this problem. For example, we are seeking improvements in our selection methods, including those for assessing perceptual motor skills and personal qualities. The value of a preliminary flying phase to identify pilot aptitude is being assessed and increases in flying hours during training have been introduced.Failure rates vary according to aircraft type and role. About half of those who enter pilot training become fully qualified pilots. A number of the remainder will either become navigators or transfer to another branch.The wastage rate for navigators is about 40 per cent. and for aircrew other than pilots and navigators between 5 per cent. and 20 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the Government's reaction to President Brezhnev's proposal regarding a worldwide ban on the development of the neutron bomb and similar weapons.

We share President Carter's view that this proposal is insufficient. The enhanced radiation weapon is designed specifically to counter the Warsaw Pact build-up of tanks and armour. We do not pose a similar problem for the Warsaw Pact and consequently it has no need for such a weapon. We are looking for restraint in its build-up of arms and forces, which cause us genuine concern.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has had from employees in Her Majesty's dockyards about the levels of remuneration; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, Central (Mr. Hamilton).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the current strength of the Ulster Defence Regiment.

The strength of the Ulster Defence Regiment on 31st March was 7,862, of whom 2,192 were full-time. The total strength includes 709 women, of whom 78 were full-time.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement about the build-up of the Ulster Defence Regiment.

Recruitment to implement the build-up of the permanent cadre of the UDR approved last year is going well. The strength of the permanent cadre stands at 2,192. Twelve full-time platoons are now operational, three are carrying out limited operations and one is recruiting.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to which countries he has extended invitations to attend the arms sales exhibition in Aldershot.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Jenkins).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the Army officers who are currently applying to resign are university graduates.

This information is not readily available and could not be provided without disproportionate effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state, in £ sterling, the pay for a major in his first year of service in the Swiss, German, French and British armies, respectively.

The information requested is not immediately available, but I am arranging to obtain it and will publish a reply in the Official Report as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria he uses to determine whether Chiefs of Defence Staff should be dismissed.

The essential requirement for the tenure of office of a Chief of the Defence Staff is that he should retain the confidence of Her Majesty's Government. Sir Neil Cameron retains that confidence.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will seek to arrange a meeting with the Indonesian Minister of Defence.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will pay an official visit to the Western European Union Parliamentary Assembly in June.

Yes. I have accepted an invitation to address the Western European Union Parliamentary Assembly on Tuesday 20th June during the debate on defence.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when it is proposed that the task forces of the Rhine Army will start being protected by the Chobham formula armour plate.

Tanks equipped with Chobham armour will be deployed in BAOR in the late 1980s when the successor to Chieftain is expected to enter service.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on defence policy in the light of recruitment difficulties.

Defence policy remains as set out in the 1978 "Statement on the Defence Estimates" (Cmnd. 7099). Recruiting has been difficult in some areas and we are watching the situation carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he expects to reduce arms sales as a result of the United Nations Special Session on Disarmament.

The Government firmly believe in the desirability of achieving realistic and practical measures to control the arms trade, but to be effective such measures must be based on international agreement by both suppliers and customers. We hope that the United Nations Special Session will give a spur to disarmament efforts in all fields.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Exercise "Purple Oyster" and the protection of United Kingdom oil and gas resources.

The purpose of exercises in the "Purple Oyster" series is to test military procedures for dealing with a terrorist incident on or near an offshore installation. Other exercises, on a smaller scale, are also regularly held to rehearse particular facets of the military response. All these exercises provide valuable experience and training opportunities. Military forces would be deployed for the protection of our offshore fuel resources only in response to a request from the civil authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Army's soft skinned vehicles are over 10 years old.

Some 24 per cent. of the Army's soft-skinned vehicles are more than 10 years old.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce the result of his current review of local overseas allowances for members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces.

I announced on 10th October 1977 that, subject only to exchange rate adjustments, local overseas allowance rates would not be altered for 12 months. The normal review mechanism was therefore suspended.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, in the deployment of British Armed Forces, from which Powers it is assumed that a hostile act is likely to originate.

The majority of British forces are deployed in those areas in which the United Kingdom can best contribute to NATO's deterrent strategy. This strategy is based on forward defence to defend the full territorial integrity of NATO members, and flexible response, to give the Alliance a wide range of options to deter all forms of aggression.Other forces are deployed to meet our commitments outside NATO, including the security of our remaining dependent territories.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are his latest plans for the rebuilding of Wellington Barracks; when he expects the rebuilding to be completed; and to what use the rebuilt barracks will be put.

The contract which has just been let provides for rehabilitation of the façade block of Wellington Barracks. We expect that the work will start this summer and be completed by early 1981. The restored buildings will be occupied by elements of the Household Division.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are made for regular physical and mental medical checks for senior defence staff.

In common with other Service personnel, senior officers of the Armed Forces undergo regular medical examinations. Their frequency varies according to such factors as age, rank and specialisation.

asked the Secretary for Defence if he will state the outstanding debt for arms supplied from the United Kingdom to Iran in the past; and whether all payments due have been paid at the dates specified.

It has been the practice of successive Governments not to reveal details of trade in defence equipment with individual countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many senior defence staff speak Chinese.

There are currently 48 Service officers of the rank of major—or its equivalent—and above who are known to have obtained at least colloquial standard in Chinese.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the full cost of training (a) a "fast jet" pilot, (b) a senior RAF engineer officer, and (c) the most highly skilled senior non-commissioned officer in the Royal Air Force or Royal Navy.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 19th May 1978; Vol. 950, c. 349], gave the following answer:The cost up to "wings" standard—the end of advanced flying training—is about £350,000. Before joining his first squadron, the fast jet pilot will then undertake tactical weapon and operational conversion training, so that the final cost will be in the region of £1 million.The cost of training a senior RAF engineer officer and a highly skilled senior NCO would vary so much depending on the background and career pattern of the officer or SNCO concerned that no generally applicable figure of costs can be given.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will pay an official visit to Prittlewell before the end of the year.

I have at present no plans to visit Prittlewell.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will seek to visit the People's Republic of China.

asked the Prime Minister if he will seek to pay an official visit to Peking in the near future.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to the People's Republic of China.

asked the Prime Minister if he will seek to pay an official visit to the People's Republic of China.

I have at present no plans to visit China.

asked the Prime Minister what security vetting procedures are applied to hon. Members as a consequence of the nature of their public duties.

asked the Prime Minister what security vetting procedures are applied to hon. Members arising from the nature of their public duties.

asked the Prime Minister what security rating procedures are applied to hon. Members as a result of the nature of their public duties.

None.

asked the Prime Minister when he expects next to meet the TUC and CBI.

I met representatives of both the TUC and CBI when I took the chair at a meeting of the NEDC on 1st February. Further meetings will be arranged as necessary.

asked the Prime Minister, when he proposes next to meet the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he next plans to meet the TUC.

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Thomas) on 25th April.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Health and Social Security in the provision of the land needed for the extension of Frimley Hospital.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for Tuesday 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for 23rd May 1978.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 23rd May.

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Members to the reply which I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Nelson and Colne (Mr. Hoyle).

asked the Prime Minister what are the principal subjects he expects to discuss when he next meets the President of the European Commission.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South-East (Mr. Rost), on 17th April. I have at present no plans to meet Mr. Jenkins before the next meeting of the European Council.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will pay an official visit to President Agostinho Neto of Angola.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any plans to visit Southampton.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any plans to visit Bulawayo.

I have no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an early official visit to Scotland.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister which Minister is responsible for co-ordination of the many different income maintenance schemes and other special measures devised by different Government Departments in connection with unemployment.

Responsibility for these schemes and measures lies primarily with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Social Services and Employment and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. There are arrangements to ensure that the activities of Departments are co-ordinated.

asked the Attorney-General if he will take steps to enlarge the scope of legal aid so as to include parties to defamation actions.

My noble Friend intends to consider this along with other improvements to the civil legal aid scheme when sufficient resources are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if a contingency fund exists to assist local councils for community relations whose funds may be withdrawn or met by their local authority.

No, but the Commission for Racial Equality has powers under the Race Relations Act 1976 to make grants to organisations concerned with promoting good race relations, including community relations councils.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to prohibit the payment of money to criminals for articles, radio and television appearances about their criminal exploits, and to provide that any money normally so paid would be put into a common fund for the benefit of the victims of crime.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Halesowen and Stourbridge (Mr. Stokes) on 26th April.—[Vol. 948, c. 559.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure must be followed before the "Mayor" of Kirklees Metropolitan Council can become "The Lord Mayor" of Kirklees.

The title "Lord Mayor" is an exceptional honour bestowed by the Sovereign on the recommendation of the Home Secretary. It is open to the Kirklees Metropolitan Council to make an application to me.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now publish the numbers of men and women released from prisons in England and Wales after serving sentences in 1976 and 1977, respectively.

I am arranging for this information to be obtained and the results made available as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen and policewomen were employed by the police forces in Merseyside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria in February 1970 and in each February since then.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen and policewomen resigned from the police forces in Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria prior to their retirement in each of the years since

The figures for the relevant dates since these forces were constituted on their present basis on 1st April 1974 following local government reorganisation are as follows:1970; and how many resigned in the first quarter of 1978.

The figures for the relevant dates since these forces were constituted on their present basis on 1st April 1974 following local government reorganisation are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen and policewomen were recruited to the police forces in Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria in each of the years

The figures for the relevant dates since these forces were constituted on their present basis on 1st April 1974 following local government reorganisation are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were reported in Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria in each year since 1970; and how many resulted in successful prosecutions.

The information, which is available only from 1st April 1974 because of the reorganisation of police force areas, is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales". The number of indictable offences recorded by the police in 1977 was as follows; other figures for 1977 are not yet available.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how much new financial assistance is being made available to Zambia.

An agreement to provide a loan of £9·26 million at 2 per cent. interest for 25 years with a seven year grace period was signed in Lusaka on 11th May. £7½ million will be spent mainly on various essential imports for the agricultural sector already agreed between our two Governments and the remaining £1·76 million on 50 Leyland buses for the United Bus Company of Zambia.During President Kaunda's recent visit my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told President Kaunda of Her Majesty's Government's intention to make available a further £15 million bilateral aid as a contribution to the international assistance to be arranged at the meeting of the World Bank Consultative Group on Zambia at Paris in June.

asked the Lord President of the Council, in the light of the fact that the cost of parliamentary printing and stationery exceeds the total of Members' salaries by 42 per cent., if he will obtain and publish the percentage cost of wages in relation to printing and stationery for the other EEC member countries.

This information is not available in this country and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will publish a table showing (a) the number of sitting days, (b) the number of weeks in recess at Christmas, Easter, Whitsun/Spring Holiday and summer for each of the last 10 parliamentary years of the House of Commons.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the purposes of the visit by an official Chinese Government delegation to the United Kingdom later in May.

There are three Chinese high level delegations, headed by Government Ministers and/or Vice-Ministers, in the United Kingdom during May. The first, at my invitation, arrived on 5th May, led by His Excellency Mr. Ku Ming, Vice-Minister of the State Planning Commission. The second arrived on 12th May and is an iron and steel delegation led by His Excellency Mr. Tang Ke, the Minister of Metallurgy. He comes at the invitation of the Secretary of State for Industry. The third delegation arrives at the end of the month and is led by His Excellency Mr. Hsiang Nan, Vice-Minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building. This visit will be to our agricultural machinery industries.These visits allow the Chinese to be shown the opportunities for closer commercial and technological collaboration between China and the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what consideration is being given to the payment of compensation to the holiday industry for any potential loss of bookings which could result from cancellation due to fears of oil pollution &c.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 19th May 1978; Vol. 950, c. 351], gave the following information:We do not yet know whether the holiday industry will be significantly adversely affected by the oil pollution. Under the 1969 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage and the oil industry's voluntary CRISTAL scheme, a maximum of $30 million is available to reimburse clean-up costs and to pay compensation for oil pollution damage resulting from the collision involving the "Eleni V".The legal position of claims submitted by those engaged in the holiday interests under the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution) Act 1971, which implements the 1969 convention, has not yet been tested in our courts and, accordingly, while it may be possible in due course to establish valid claims, it must be recognised that in any event there may be difficulty in certain instances in demonstrating the size of any loss and a direct link with oil pollution. Similarly, there is a degree of uncertainty about the position of claims by the holiday industry under CRISTAL.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the difficulties and objections to burning oil remaining in a wrecked tanker.

These include difficulties of boarding to place explosive charges, without serious risk to life; getting air to the oil cargo to secure effective combusion; the risk of leaving unburned heavy residues which are difficult to clear; causing the vessel to disintegrate and thus increasing pollution; and the amount of pollution of the atmosphere which is acceptable. Pumping out the cargo is usually preferable, and the point at which to abondon this course in favour of attempting to ignite the oil constitutes a difficult decision; some oil will not burn in this way. Research on burning oil in stricken tankers is under consideration, in consultation with leading British oil companies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now allow tenants of Pauls Dene Estate, Salisbury, to purchase their homes.

150 surplus defence houses at Pauls Dene Estate have been offered by the Property Services Agency to the Salisbury District Council. If, as is expected, the council says it does not want to buy the houses, PSA will offer individual houses for sale to the occupants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will examine several of the proposals of the Lucas Aerospace workers, as outlined in the corporate plan proposals and, in particular, the proposal to develop a hybrid power-pack for the private car which reduces toxic emissions by 80 per cent.

My Department has now received a summary of proposals in the corporate plan. I have asked my officials to consider those proposals which relate to my responsibilities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what services his Department provides (a) to the States of Jersey and (b) to the States of Guernsey; and what charges are made for such services.

My Department does not provide any services to the States of Jersey or Guernsey.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the cost of building new fencing to protect the property at the former RAF No. 25 MU site at Hartlebury.

Approximately £3,900. Final accounts have yet to be received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action was taken in the months of February, March and April to prevent the development of a public health risk at the former RAF No. 25 MU site at Hartlebury.

The Property Services Agency (PSA) invited the county council in February and the local district council, the authority responsible for public health, in March to enter the property and provide sanitation and other facilities. The district council made one issue and subsequent collection of polythene bags for refuse on 10th April. Work on other facilities commenced on 8th May and is continuing. The PSA has maintained a supply of water to the property at all times.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the monthly cost of employing Securicor to protect property at the former RAF No. 25 MU site at Hartlebury.

£2,721·86.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he received from the faculty of advocates concerning the alteration to the advocates' lavatories in Parliament House, Edinburgh; and what was the cost of the work.

In June 1976 the court authorities, with the concurrence of the dean of the faculty of advocates, asked the Property Services Agency of this Department to replace wash-hand basins and toilets in the advocates' gown room area in Parliament House. A scheme prepared by the Property Services Agency for the complete refurbishment of the toilet area was objected to by the faculty of advocates on the grounds that, whilst some of the fittings required replacing, other suggested alterations were neither necessary nor desirable. The scope of the work was accordingly reduced to replacing old and unhygienic fittings which the Property Services Agency could no longer maintain economically, and the cost is expected to be £3,300, subject to final measurement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the rules governing the local government superannuation scheme.

This scheme is embodied in the Local Government Superannuation Regulation 1974 (SI 1974, No. 520) as amended by subsequent Statutory Instruments.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will institute a campaign to see that the circular on school uniform issued in 1977 is carried out, and that no secondary school demands, from pupils starting in September, more in the way of school uniform than can be purchased by the maximum local authority distinctive clothing grant available in that area.

The circular letter of 26th May 1977 was issued in response to a suggestion that some local education authorities would welcome my right hon. Friend's views on school uniform. The letter suggested in effect that schools should be moderate in their requirements and that authorities should avoid a situation where the cost of the uniform greatly exceeded the help available. I regret that some authorities do not provide clothing grants commensurate with the demands they allow schools in their area to make but under existing statutory arrangements my right hon. Friend has no power to intervene.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will now institute a survey into the level of distinctive and necessitous clothing grants paid by each local education authority in England and Wales.

My right hon. Friend is already well aware of the wide variation in the policies that have been adopted by local education authorities in